


Fun With Mike & Jane

by JoMo3



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-04-23 23:03:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 26,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14342817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoMo3/pseuds/JoMo3
Summary: A continuation of "Hearts in Hawkins" and formerly titled "Hearts Continued."The continued high school adventures of Mike Wheeler and Jane Hopper.





	1. Working Girl

_Heart Eyes_.

That was the term Lucas had began jokingly referring to the way that Mike looked at Jane, and vice versa; _heart eyes_ . And although Mike _knew_ he looked at Jane differently than he looked at other girls, he took slight offense to that phrase; it insinuated that he was a lovesick puppy. And he was _not_ a puppy.

The two boys were currently standing in the parking lot of Hawkins High School, the dismissal bell having rang about three minutes ago. It was a Friday, so students were doing their best to get out of the building and begin their weekend. Mike and Lucas had lucked out, being able to escape their last class, study hall, a few minutes early.

“You look ridiculous,” Lucas, next to him, mentioned.

“What?”

“Sitting there, leaning against your car, arms folded, trying to be cool while making heart eyes all ready for Jane….you look like, I don’t know...one of those eighties high school jocks.”

Mike grinned, shaking his head. Mike was a lot of things, but he _definitely_ wasn’t a jock. “You’re the one that plays football, Lucas. Not me.”

Lucas smiled, joining his friend against the car as they waited. “What’re you and Lady Jane up to tonight?”

Mike shrugged. “I don’t know.”

As if on cue, he saw Lucas’ girlfriend, Max, heading towards the parking lot, with Mike’s own girlfriend, Jane, in tow. The two girls were in a conversation, Max saying something and shaking her head, while Jane said something back.

It was now three weeks since the homecoming dance; or, more _importantly_ , three weeks since the day _after_ the dance. That day after, the group had met up at Benny’s Burgers to take advantage, once again, of Dustin’s employee discount. When Mike had driven Jane home, he’d hesitated in the driveway and blurted out, “Do you wanna be my girlfriend?”

She’d looked stunned at first, which had sent his mouth into overdrive, words spilling out as he tried to diffuse the atomic bomb that would be her rejecting him: “I mean...nevermind, it’s too soon, we only had one date, well, technically a _dance_ , so if you want to…”

“Mike,” she said, putting her hand on his.

“Yeah?” he’d asked.

“ _Yes_ I’ll be your girlfriend.”

“Oh. Okay. Cool.”

“Cool,” she’d said back, and the two had leaned over and shared a kiss.

Now in the present, Mike watched as the two girls closed the distance, still seemingly oblivious to the boys waiting for them. Finally, he and Jane’s eyes met when she looked up, and he watched as a smile came to her face, as he knew he was smiling as well.

“Hey,” she said as the girls arrived at the cars.

“Hey,” he said back as she made her way over, walking into his arms and giving him a quick peck.

“I missed you,” she said quietly.

“Missed you, too,” he said.

“Oh my _gosh_ , you guys, it’s barely been three hours,” Dustin said, making his way over to the group. “You two can’t seriously be this clingy after a few weeks.”

Jane giggled, leaning against Mike as she smiled.

“Do you still need a ride, dumbass?” Mike asked Dustin.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, walking to Mike’s car.

The group chatted for a bit, deciding where to meet tomorrow. Will was still in class, and Max had to begin her shift at Bradley’s Big Buy in an hour. Lucas had to go to work, too, but he and Max were going to grab something to eat first. Dustin needed to get to work by four, and since Jane’s house was closest, Mike was giving him a ride.

The group eventually decided to meet at Lucas’s house tomorrow afternoon, with Lucas promising to text Will about it later. After saying goodbye, they all got into their separate cars and were on their way.

 

“Tell me again,” Jane said, turning in her seat, “what happened to your car?”

Dustin, sitting in the back, rolled his eyes as he repeated what he’d said earlier that morning, “My mom’s car is in the shop. So me, being the gentleman that I am, let her use my car to get to work.”

“Oh,” Jane said, nodding and turning back around.

“Sorry if I’m taking away your precious _Jike_ time,” Dustin added with a grin.

“Jike?” Jane asked, turning back around.

“He’s doing that stupid thing where you put people’s names together,” Mike said, stopping at a red light. “You know, like…’Kimye’ or something.”

Jane smiled, turning around again. “Jike sounds dumb.”

“Well, then, how about ‘Mane,” Dustin suggested.

“How about nothing,” Mike said as the light turned green.

“Come on! You loved Mucas,” Dustin said.

“Mucas?” Jane asked Mike.

“Max and Lucas,” Mike explained.

“Ew.”

In the back, Dustin chuckled.

They eventually arrived at Dustin’s place of employment. After he assured them that he’d get a ride home from a coworker, Dustin climbed out of the car, saying, “Have fun, you crazy kids!”

“He’s such a nerd,” Mike said, watching his friend walk into Benny’s. Turning to Jane, he asked, “So what do you want to do?”

The two ended up driving to a nearby hot dog stand, where they caught up on what had happened since they’d last seen each other at lunch. After eating, they headed down to The Palace, Hawkins’ local establishment of video games as well as prize games.

After playing some skeeball and battling each other in a monster-killing game, the two sat down to rest before deciding what to do next.

“I need a job,” Jane said, surprising Mike.

“You...wait, what?”

“Will you help me look?”

He was surprised; she’d never said anything about getting a job. “Why do you need a job all of a sudden?”

“It’s just…” she shrugged, looking at the people around them. “It’s not all of a sudden. Ever since I moved here I’ve been trying to think of where to work. And now that I kind of, you know...settled in and all...I want to make some money.”

“Where’d you work in Chicago?”

“There was a library near my house. I would work there on the weekends.”

“We have a library in Hawkins,” he suggested.

“Maybe,” she said, nodding.

“Is there something you want to buy?”

“A car, for one,” she said. “Then, I don’t know...maybe a tablet or something.”

“Well thankfully, Hawkins isn’t that big of a town, so you can kind of get around without a car.”

“My dad got me a bike to use,” she said. Then, smiling, asked, “So will you help me look tomorrow?”

He thought for a moment, then frowned slightly. “I can’t during the day. I’ve got to work.”

She shook her head. “And then we’re meeting at Lucas’s.”

“I don’t work Sunday,” he said. “I can help you then.”

“Okay.”

 

Saturday morning, Jim Hopper went downstairs and was surprised when he saw his daughter sitting at the table, two waffles sitting on an untouched plate as she stared intently at her laptop.

“Good morning,” he said as he went into the fridge.

“Hey,” was her response.

“Your Eggo’s are getting cold,” he told her, glancing at the plate.

Without averting her gaze, she picked up a waffle, took a bite, and placed it back on the plate.

“It’s kind of early for you,” he noticed, looking at the clock on the microwave-10:06. “You’re usually still in bed at this time on Saturday.”

“Uh-huh,” she replied.

Grabbing the milk, a bowl, and a box of cereal, Hopper joined Jane at the table. “So what do you got going on today?”

She snapped out of her daze, and looked over at him. “Actually, I could use your help with something.”

“Oh, yeah? And what’s that?”

“I’m looking for a job.”

“Really? Huh. And what brought this on?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I want to have money of my own.”

He nodded. “I can understand that. How can I help? You want me to ask who’s hiring? I could probably get you a job filing paperwork at the station; God knows Flo could use some help…”

Jane made a face. “Uh, no.”

“What? Too good to work with your dad?” he teased.

“No, I just...want my own thing.”

“Okay. What’d you have in mind?”

Scanning something on her computer screen, she said, “The library is looking for someone.”

Now Hopper made a face. “You want to work at the library?”

“Why, what’s wrong with that? I worked at a library in Chicago.”

“Mm.” He shook his head. “To each his own, I guess.”

“Will you give me a ride? Do you have to work?”

Sighing, he answered “No, I’ve got today off. When do you want to go?”

 

So after Hop finished his cereal (and Jane warmed up two new waffles, discarding the cold ones) the two got into the chief’s cruiser and drove to downtown Hawkins. Arriving at the library, they parked and climbed the stairs, going inside.

Walking in, Jane smiled at the librarian sitting at the desk, and missed the brief look of panic and the eye roll of her father behind her.

“Hi,” Jane said.

With a glance over Jane’s shoulder, the librarian said, “Well, well, well. If it isn’t Jim Hopper.”

Jane looked behind her, a confused look on her face. Her father’s face wore a look of _oh my gosh get me out of here_.

“Um...hey, Marissa,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.  “I, uh...forgot you worked here.”

“Forgot, huh?,” she said, a sly smile on her face. “Just like you forgot to call me back after promising you would?”

“Dad?” Jane asked, looking between the two.

“Uh, Marissa’s a, uh...friend of mine,” Hopper said, walking over.

Marissa scoffed.

“This is my daughter, Jane. She’s looking for a part time job. She read that you guys were hiring?”

Marissa raised her eyebrows. “Is that right? Well. Let me just get you an application.” Standing, Marissa walked into the small office behind her, and came back with a form.

Jane filled it out, as Hopper stood off to the side, trying to stay out of Marissa’s line of fire. When Jane had completed it, she handed it, with a smile, to the librarian.

“Thank you for coming in, Jane,” she said, sneaking a glance at Hopper. “It was so nice to meet you. Someone will call you soon. We won’t forget.” This last part was said with a glance at Hopper.

When Jane and her dad climbed back into his cruiser, she asked, “I’m not getting that job, am I?”

Hopper sighed. “Probably not. Sorry, kid.”

Pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket, Jane looked over the list of places she’d compiled. “Is there anywhere else on here I should avoid?”

“I’m not that big of a slimeball, jeez,” he said. Still, he gave a quick glance at the list. “Maybe not that sandwich shop,” he said before he put the car in gear.

 

That night at Lucas’s, Mike and Jane laughed about what had happened at the library. The whole group was there; Mike and Jane sat together on the couch, Dustin sat on the floor in front of the television, playing a video game. On the adjacent couch sat Lucas and Max, whose head lay on her boyfriend’s knee. Will sat in a chair between the two couches, as he and Lucas played a game of chess.

“I didn’t know your dad was such a player,” Will commented as he waited for Lucas to move his pawn.

“Neither did I,” Jane said, shaking her head.

“How’d the rest of the job hunt go?” Lucas asked.

“Not too good,” Jane said, frowning slightly. “There isn’t that many places hiring right now.”

“I would try and get you a job as a cashier, but there aren’t any openings,” Max said; she worked at Bradley’s Big Buy.

“Are you gonna go, or what?” Will asked Lucas.

“I’m thinking,” Lucas answered.

“Why don’t you just work with Mike?” Dustin asked from the floor.

“Ew,” Lucas said. “They’d just be in the back making out all the time.”

“We would _not_ ,” Jane said with a smile.

“We wouldn’t?” Mike asked, feigning being hurt.

She punched him lightly on his shoulder.

“Besides,” Mike said, “I already asked.”

“You did?” Jane asked.

“Yeah. We aren’t hiring. I’m lucky Lucas got me a job there when he did.”

“Still waiting on a thank you for that,” Lucas said, finally moving his chess piece.

“Thanks for asking,” Jane said.

“How about the movie theater?” asked Max. The group was going to see a movie in an hour.

“Yeah! You could get us discounts and sneak us in,” Will said.

Pausing his game, Dustin turned around and said, “Jane, Mike will marry you right now if you get a job at the movie theater.”

“Will you shut up,” Mike said, slightly embarrassed.

Jane shrugged. “It’s worth a try.”

 

Unfortunately, The Hawk wasn’t hiring, either. When the movie finished, Mike drove Jane home, and stopped her from entering when they got to her door.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said, though Mike didn’t believe her. “I just didn’t think it’d be this hard to find a job, you know?”

“You’ll find something,” he said. “Or maybe just, you know...don’t work? I’d love to be able to just focus on school and sit on my ass on Saturdays.”

“Well, we don’t all have rich parents,” she said.

Mike made a face. “My parents aren’t rich…”

“I know, I didn’t mean it like…” she sighed, putting her hands on his shoulders. The Wheelers weren’t rich, and neither were the rest of their friends, but Jane was somewhat envious how they already had what they wanted. And she, the new girl in town, transported from a different city, had to start over. She told Mike as much, and he nodded, understanding.

“You’ll catch up,” he told her. “And I’m sorry if we ever made you feel like…”

“No,” she said, interrupting him. “You didn’t do anything. It’s me. I’m just...like you said, trying to catch up.”

“Let me know if there’s anything else I can do, okay?” he asked.

She nodded.

The two shared a kiss, then said their goodbyes.

 

On Sunday, Mike picked Jane up a little after noon, and the two crossed a few more places off Jane’s list of possible employment. But by the time the sun was setting, nothing had come to fruition.

After spending the day driving around town, the two ended up at Benny’s, catching a quick meal before Mike drove her back home.

“How does anyone find a job in this town?” Jane asked Mike. “It’s like you have to be grandfathered in or something.”

Mike smiled. “So what’re you going to do?”

Sighing, she answered with “I’m just going to have to wait, I guess. Or take my dad up on that offer of working at the station.” She shuddered.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing. I just...I don’t know, don’t see myself working at a police station.”

“If your dad wasn’t such a horndog, you’d have your dream job,” Mike teased, earning him a look from Jane.

Just then, Dustin grabbed a chair from an empty table, and sidled up at the end of their booth.

“Jane, my dear,” he said, “You’re about to tell me you love me.”

Confused, she looked at Mike, then at Dustin. “Okay…”

“One of the waitresses quit this morning. Benny’s gonna be looking for a new one.”

“How does that help me?”

Dustin looked at Mike. “Is she serious right now?”

“I don’t….” she began, shaking her head, “I don’t really want to work here.”

“Why not?” Dustin asked. “The owner is friends with your dad, and your house is right around the corner.”

“I don’t know, I just don’t really want to work with food.”

Mike shrugged. “You wanted a job…”

“And you get to work with me!” Dustin added.

“You’re not really helping your point,” Mike said.

Giving him the finger, Dustin asked, “So what do you say, Jane?”

“Ugghhh…” she said, groaning. Nodding her head, she said, “Okay.”

Grinning, Dustin pounded the table. “Let me go tell Benny.”

“So you’re going to be a Benny’s Burger Girl?” Mike asked with a smile.

“I guess so,” Jane said with a sigh.

A few minutes later, Benny came and talked briefly to Jane about waitressing. He told her the job was hers if she wanted it, and by the time they both got up from the booth, Jane Hopper was officially an employee of Benny’s Burgers.

 

“I’m proud of you,” Mike told her on the way out, her hand in his.

“Thank you,” she said, ducking her head.

“You know I’m going to get fat now, don’t you?” he asked, opening her door. “Coming to see you all the time and using your discount.”

“Who says I’m giving you a discount?” she said, smiling.

He smiled back, and kissed her as her hand found its way to his cheek. Soon they were off, Jane eager to tell Hopper the good news.


	2. Hot and Heavy

Jane felt electric.

She and Mike were on the couch of her living room. Jane had gotten out of work about a half hour ago, and Mike came over to to help her study for her science test. What had started as simple tutoring turned into innocent kissing, which then turned into...whatever  _ this _ was.

It wasn’t anything explicit; Jane sat on Mike’s lap, facing him, as the two kissed heavily. 

Her arms were wrapped around his neck, as he lifted himself up to meet her lips; his own hands on her back, holding her steady.

To Jane, she felt like electricity surged through her body everytime their lips met. And as important as the test was (with midterms coming up soon), this was suddenly more important.

For his part, Mike felt pretty good, too. 

Times like this made him want to pinch himself;  _ was this real? Was Jane Hopper, the pretty new girl at Hawkins High really sitting here, arms around him as they made out _ ? He’d have to rethink his whole first/last theory.

He could feel Jane smile as she kissed him, and he moved his hands up her back, trying to keep them busy, because he knew if he kept them still he may be tempted to do  _ something _ ...and he knew they weren’t ready for anything more than this.

The two of them were so wrapped up in their amorous activity that they failed to hear the door to the front door open and shut. Jane was, however, the first to hear Hopper’s heavy footstep on the floorboard, and she pulled away from Mike, eyes wide as she met her father’s gaze.

Mike looked like he’d seen a ghost.

“Uh...hey, dad,” Jane said, climbing off of Mike’s lap. “We were…”

“Get out,” Hopper said, deadpan, but with a look in his eyes that sent chills down Mike’s body.

“Um...yes sir,” Mike said, quickly getting up and grabbing his backpack. He gave a fleeting glance at Jane as he hurried out the door.

“What’d you do that for?” Jane asked. “It wasn’t…”

“So is this what you’ve been doing all this time I’m at work? Inviting Mike over for some...private tutoring?”

“It wasn’t like that,” she said, her face heating up. “We just got distracted.”

“Hmph. Distracted,” he repeated, shaking his head. “You’re grounded.”

“I’m  _ grounded _ ?” Jane asked incredulously.

“Yeah, you’re grounded,” Hopper said, pinching his nose.

“Why? We weren’t even doing anything!”

“Oh, really? Mike wasn’t in here, copping a feel when I came in?”

“He wasn’t…” she folded her arms over her chest, embarrassed, “He wasn’t ‘copping a feel.’ We were just kissing.”

“Yeah, well, I know what that kind of kissing can lead to.”

Jane felt her face flare up again, and she grabbed her own backpack and angrily slung it over her shoulder. “I can’t believe this,” she muttered as she stomped up the stairs, closing her door loudly.

 

Hopper sighed, and debated going up after her. He decided, at least for now, to let it go.

_ I didn’t sign up for this _ , he thought to himself. He loved Jane, with all his heart. And he would do anything in his power to protect her. But  _ this _ ? Walking in on her getting all hot and heavy with her boyfriend? He was  _ so _ not ready for that kind of thing.

He wasn’t stupid. He knew Jane and Mike were dating (obviously), and knew that there’d be kissing going on. But he wasn’t prepared for the sight of his daughter sitting in Mike’s lap, making out.

Still, he knew Mike was a good kid and would never do anything... _ unwanted _ ..with Jane. But the thought of his little girl in that kind of situation…

The thought made him shudder.

He went to the refrigerator and took a beer out, hoping it would take some of the edge off. Things had been going well for the two of them, father and daughter. Things had been pretty good from the get go, when she’d moved in. It was a little awkward at first, but they were both able to adapt quickly. But now, after coming down on her like that, things were definitely going to get awkward between the two of them.

*

By the time Mike got home, his face had returned to it’s usual hue, instead of the beet-red it had turned when he’d looked behind him and saw Hopper in the doorway. The look on Hopper’s face as his eyes had met Mike’s was enough to melt steel. Mike already knew he’d probably get an awkward talk from the chief the next time he went over to see Jane. If he were  _ allowed _ to go back over, that is.

As he got to his room he felt his phone vibrate, and he saw that he had a text from Jane.

_ I’m grounded :( _

What? He texted her back, but was interrupted by her calling him. Answering, he asked, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” she groaned into the phone. “Just mad. I’m sorry about my dad.”

“No, don’t worry about it. How long are you grounded for?”

“I don’t know,” she said with a sigh. “Besides him grounding me, we haven’t really talked much.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”

“Well it is, kind of. Besides, now I can’t help you with your test.”

She sighed again. “Yeah, I’ve got to work on that. I’ll text you later, okay?”

“Okay,” he said as they disconnected. 

*

The awkwardness between Hopper and Jane picked up a while later when he called her down for dinner. When he didn’t get a response, he went up to her room.

“Jane?” he asked, knocking on the door. “Dinner. Come on.”

He was worried for a minute that she had climbed out her window or something, but he heard the bed creak, then Jane, saying a little stubbornly, “I’m not hungry.”

“Fine. Suit yourself.” He went back downstairs, eating his pork chop and drinking his beer while he watched a basketball game.

As the fourth quarter began on the Indiana Pacers game, he saw her come downstairs out of the corner of his eye. She didn’t look at him, instead going into the fridge and pausing as she looked at it’s contents.

“I thought you weren’t hungry,” he said, turning down the volume of the television.

She didn’t say anything.

“Well, there’s a pork chop in there if you want it,” he told her. She still didn’t respond, instead going into the freezer and taking out pizza bites. Popping them into the microwave, she folded her arms as she waited for them to cook.

“You’re going to have to talk to me sooner or later,” he said, glancing over at her. She huffed, and turned away from him.

Shaking his head, he went back to watching the game. A minute later the microwave beeped, and he watched her take her plate and climb back upstairs, shutting her door behind her.

He was starting to debate whether or not he’d overreacted. It  _ was _ just kissing. But still...

This was so much easier when Terry was here. He could talk things out with her. He remembered a time he’d yelled at a five-year-old Jane for getting paint all over the table when she was doing one of her finger painting projects. She had ran to her room crying, saying he was “so mean” and slamming her door. His first thought was to barge into her room and show her how mean he could be, but Terry had talked him out of it, instead going into Jane’s room and calming her down. A few hours later it was like nothing had happened; Jane came out of her room and hugged him, saying “I’m sorry, daddy.”

_ Gosh he missed times like that _ .

He wished he had someone to talk about it now, but unfortunately it was just he, himself, and him.

*

Mike picked Jane up the next morning, though he had been hesitant to do so. Last night he’d had a recurring nightmare that he pulled up to the house and Hopper had been waiting outside with a shotgun.

Instead, in reality, he’d driven up to the house and before he’d even put the car in park, Jane was out the door, speed-walking to the car.

“Hey,” she said as she climbed in.

“Hey,” he said, glancing at the door to the house. When he didn’t see Hopper coming out with his service revolver, he let out the breath he’d been holding. Backing out into the street, he asked, “Everything okay?”

Sighing, she answered, “That was the most awkward breakfast I’ve ever had.”

“Did you talk?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “At least, not really.”

“What do you mean?”

“He tried to tell me what time he wants me home, and the, uh..rules of the grounding.”

“Have you ever been grounded before?”

“No,” she said, putting her backpack from her lap to the floor in front of her.

“Sorry I broke your streak.”

She smiled, and put her head on the headrest. “Have you?”

“Yeah. More so since my parents split up. My mom and I...we have our good days and our bad days.” When she didn’t say anything, he asked, “So what’re the rules?”

“What?”

“Of the grounding.”

“Oh. Um...straight home unless I have work, no TV until my homework is done.”

“What about me?”

“No...dating for a week.”

Mike groaned. “Well….that’s not  _ too _ bad, I guess.”

“It’s not fair,” she said quietly. “I found a guy I really like and…”

“Really like?” he asked, looking away from the road.

“What?”

“You said… ‘a guy I really like’...” Grinning, he asked, “You really like me?”

Blushing a little, she said, “Well, yeah.”

His grin grew. “I really like you, too,” he said, feeling his own cheeks heat up.

Ducking her head slightly, she took his free hand in her own.

*

When Hopper had gotten up that morning, he’d sent a text message to a friend, wanting to talk. The friend didn’t get back to him until the time he’d gotten to work, saying they’d come by. At eleven o’clock, Flo called his office, telling him he had a visitor. Thankfully it was another slow day in Hawkins, so he had time to talk.

His office door opened, and he grinned slightly as Joyce Byers walked in, holding two cups of coffee from Callahan’s Coffee downtown.

“Thought you might want a cup,” she said, holding up one of the cups and handing it to him.

Reaching across the desk, he said “thank you” and took a quick sip of the hot beverage as she sat down.

“Everything okay?” she asked, taking a sip of her drink. “You don’t really…” she paused.

“What?” he asked, seeing her grin.

“Nothing. Just...you’re not a texter.”

He huffed. “You calling me old, Joyce?”

“ _ No _ ,” she said, but the smirk was still there. “I’m just saying texting isn’t like you.”

He let out a chuckle, and nodded his head. “You got me there.”

After taking another sip of her coffee, Joyce leaned back in her seat. “So. What’s going on?”

Hopper sighed. “It’s Jane. She, uh…”

“Is she okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, she’s fine,” Hopper said, taking out a pack of cigarettes from his desk drawer. He offered one to Joyce, but she shook her head, and nodded for him to continue. “It’s her and her boyfriend.”

Joyce smiled, and raised an eyebrow. “Did you walk in on them….”

“What? Oh, hell no,” Jim said, lighting a cigarette. “You’d be down here, bailing me out if that were the case. I’d have killed the boy. No, um..I walked in on the two, you know…”

“What?”

“Making out,” he coughed, not liking having to say it out loud.

“Awww, that’s cute,” Joyce teased.

Hopper shot her a look that let her know it was  _ not _ cute.

Laughing, Joyce said, “They’re teenagers, Jim. It’s not like  _ you _ didn’t…”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, cutting her off. “This is my little girl, Joyce.”

“I know.”

Taking another puff, he said, “When she came to live with me, my biggest fear was having to buy tampons and shit, and scaring off boyfriends. But  _ this _ ?” He shivered. “I don’t want to deal with this.”

“Comes with the territory,” Joyce said. “What happened after?”

“I told Mike to leave, and I grounded Jane.” Joyce looked down with a smile, and Hopper caught the look. “What?”

“It’s nothing,” she said. “You don’t think you may have overreacted a little?”

“She was sitting in his  _ lap _ , Joyce. She needs to know that that shit’s not okay.”

“Maybe she does, but...come on, you know Mike is a good kid.”

“I don’t care if he’s Time’s Person of the Year, I don’t want to walk in on him and my daughter swapping spit.”

“Okay,” she said, putting up her hands. “And you’re right, I guess. She needs to know what you will and will not accept.” She grinned. “I guess I lucked out, only having boys.”

“You never had this with Jonathan?”

“No, Jonathan didn’t really date much. Not until Nancy, really. And Will is so introverted, I worry about him sometimes.”

“Hm. Does it ever get easy?”

“Does what?”

“Worrying about them. Does that ever go away?”

Sighing, Joyce asked, “How long was it, Jane was in Chicago, and you were here?”

Jim shrugged. “Couple of years.”

“Did  _ you _ ever stop worrying about her?”

Stubbing out his cigarette, Jim nodded. “So it never does go away.” Looking back up at Joyce, he asked, “So what do I do?”

“I mean...she’s your daughter, Jim. But I don’t know...ground her, but tell her why, maybe?”

Jim sighed, not really looking forward to having  _ that _ kind of conversation with Jane.

*

*

For once, Jane was hoping the school day would go slow so she could spend more time with her friends, and especially Mike. But, if anything, the day seemed to go by faster than normal.

After giving Mike a kiss goodbye in the school parking lot, Jane got a ride home from Max, since Mike and Lucas were going to work.

Max noticed Jane’s forlorn expression on the drive. “Come on,” she said, “It’s not  _ that _ bad. Your dad’ll probably cave and let you out tomorrow. He’s a big teddy bear, that chief of yours.”

Jane shook her head. “Honestly, it’s not the grounding that annoys me. It’s  _ why _ . It wasn’t a big deal.”

“What, making out with your boyfriend as your dad walks in? Yeah, I’m surprised he didn’t offer you guys a hotel room or something.”

Jane smirked. “Has your stepdad ever walked in on you?”

“Neil? Ugh...no, but that’d embarrass me enough to move out. He came home one night to Billy trying to sneak a girl out, though.  _ That _ was awkward.”

They arrived at Jane’s home. “Well,” Jane said, opening the door, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Text me later, let me know how fast he changes his mind,” Max said with a grin. Smiling back, Jane climbed out of the car and went inside.

 

She spent the next two hours working on homework and listening to music from her phone. This time she heard it when the front door opened, signaling her father was home. Turning off her music, she focused all of her attention on her work, intent on zoning him out.

He walked into the room, where she sat on the couch, legs folded beneath her as she looked over her homework.

“Hey,” he said. When she didn’t say anything back, he asked, “Still not talking to me, huh?”

She still didn’t respond; instead, she grabbed her books to go up to her room.

“Alright. Have it your way. But dinner’s in an hour and you better be down here.”

Still not responding, she stalked up to her room and closed the door.

An hour later Hopper was calling up to her, telling her dinner was ready. She went down and sat at the table as he finished whatever he was doing at the stove. He came over a moment later with two plates of grilled cheese sandwiches, putting one in front of her. Without looking up at him, she started to eat.

They ate in an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes until Hopper, not able to take it anymore, rubbed his face and said “Maybe I went too far, with this grounding, okay?”

That got her to look up, surprised.

“But you’ve got to follow my rules, Jane. And you broke one of them. Do you understand?”

She didn’t say anything, but her gaze never left his.

“Yes or no, do you understand?” he asked with a little more bass in his voice.

“Yes,” she answered quietly.

“You and Mike are  too young to be doing stupid things. You’ll have plenty of time to do stupid things with each other when you’re older. But right now, you’re in my house, and what’s rule number one?”

“Don’t be stupid,” she said quietly.

“Right. And that was…”

“We were just….”

He put a hand up, silencing her. “I know what you were ‘just’ doing, Jane. And I know I can’t watch you two 24/7, but when you’re here, you’ve gotta be smarter. Understand?”

She nodded. “Am I still grounded?”

“Yeah, you’re still grounded. At least for a week,” he said, taking a bite from his grilled cheese. “But you can have Mike over. As long as I’m here, you understand?”

She nodded. “Okay.”

They ate quietly for a minute, until she asked, “Are you going to be like this everytime I kiss Mike?”

He chuckled. “As long as you keep that out of my line of sight, I’ll think we’ll be okay, kid.”

She smiled. Things were almost back to normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to discontinue this story because I'd been hoping to get more of a response; but I decided to keep it going anyway. Thanks for reading, you guys are the best.


	3. Nighthawks

Soft music played on the stereo, putting Max in a nice, comfortable mood. She did not want to get up, but knew that she had to. And  _ soon _ . Next to her in her bed, Lucas lay on his stomach, turned away from her.

“Hey,” she said, lightly nudging him. When he didn’t respond, she used her foot. “ _ Hey _ .”

“Hm?” he asked, not turning around.

“Don’t fall asleep.”

“I’m not.”

“Yeah, right.”

“ ‘m not…”

It was a Friday night, which meant Max’s mom and step dad had gone on their weekly end-of-the-work-week date at their usual spot. Which meant they wouldn’t be back until late. Which meant that Lucas could come over. Which meant that the two of them could…enjoy one another.

They’d grabbed a quick dinner after school, then rushed to her house and, finding it empty, gone to her room, grabbing one another, lips all over, pulling off clothes until they’d fallen into her bed, giggling. It wasn’t their first time, nor would it be their last.

She smiled, turning onto her back and letting out a sigh.

“...time is it?” Lucas mumbled.

Reaching over him, she touched her phone. “Almost nine.”

“Mm. Still got a few minutes,” he said.

She kissed his shoulder. “Not really.”

Letting out a groan, Lucas turned, facing her. “You said we had a while.”

“It’s  _ nine _ ,” she said, singing the number. “How much time did you think?”

“More,” he said, scooting closer, and kissing her.

She grinned, kissing him back. “You’re so stupid,” she said between kisses.

They kissed for a few minutes, Lucas pulling her closer, both of them considering going another round, until they heard the front door open and shut.

“ _ Shit _ ,” Max said, untangling herself.

“Is that them?” Lucas asked, looking at her closed bedroom door.

“Max!” a voice called.

Max moaned.  _ Billy _ .

“Hide,” she told her boyfriend. Getting out of bed, she grabbed a pair of gym shorts from the floor, then threw on a gray tee of Lucas’s, pulling it over her head.

“Where am I gonna…” he asked, pulling on shorts.

There was a knock on the door, and the handle jiggled. “Max? The hell you doing in there?” Billy’s voice called.

She let out a sigh, happy she’d been smart enough to remember to lock the door. “What do you want?”

“Why’s your door locked?” he asked, as she saw Lucas scrambling to grab his stuff while also looking for someplace to hide.

“Why are you  _ here _ ?” she asked back.

“I need your car,” he said.

“Screw off, you’re not getting my car!”

“Come on, Max, Just for tonight. You’re not going out anyway.”

“Forget it, Billy,” she said.

She didn’t hear anything for a moment, until he said “Don’t I always bring it back?”

“Without gas and without asking me,  _ yeah _ .”

Another pause, until he said, “You know, I could just hotwire it.”

“ _ Shit _ ,” she moaned. She unlocked the door, and opened it a crack. Her big brother ( _ step _ brother) stood on the other side, looking down at her.

“What’re you doing in there?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

“Uh-huh. Then why was your door locked, huh? You got a boy in there?”

“No,” she responded.

“Because if I remember correctly, Susan said you couldn’t have...what’s his name? Luke? Over unless she was home.”

“It’s  _ Lucas _ ,” she corrected. “And he’s not here, anyway.”

“Is that right? Well, then, you won’t mind if I come in,” he said, and before she could stop him, he’d pushed into her room.

She turned, expecting the worst, but surprisingly didn’t see her boyfriend. And neither, apparently, did Billy.

“Huh,” he said, turning back to her. He spotted her keys on the nightstand, and scooped them up. “Well, look what he have here.”

“ _ No _ ,” she said, reaching for them, but he had them over his head. Sighing, she asked “Why don’t you take  _ your _ piece of crap car?”

“Because it’s a piece of crap car, like you said,” he answered. He began walking towards the door.

“Billy, I’ve got work tomorrow,” she called after him.

“I’ll bring it back.”

“ _ Fine _ ,” she said. “And bring it back with a full tank or…”

He stopped at the door, grinning over his shoulder. “Or what?”

“Or don’t bring it back at all,” she said, closing the door in his face.

She stood by the door, waiting for him to barge back in, or make some kind of a remark. But instead she just heard his footsteps go down the hall. A few moments later, when she heard her car start up, and he began revving the engine, she turned back around. “Lucas?” she called softly.

Her closet, which’d been halfway open, opened all the way and Lucas stepped out. “Your brother’s such an asshole,” he said as he shook his head. “Why’d you give him your car?”

“I thought it was the easiest way to get rid of him,” she answered, shrugging her shoulders.

“Yeah, but how am  _ I _ going to get home? You drove, remember?”

“Oh. Yeah,” she said. One quick glance at her bedside alarm clark told her that her parents would be home soon. “You could walk,” she suggested.

“Uh, no. My house is, like, a thousand miles from here.”

“It’s not a thousand miles,” she muttered, sitting on the bed. She picked up her phone. “What about Mike?”

“What about him?”

Just then, they heard the front door open, and Max’s head whipped towards her closed door. “ _ Shit _ ,” she whispered.

“What?”

“That’s...my mom and Neil.” She got back up.

Lucas’s eyes bulged. “Should I get out, or…”

“No, just wait here.” She slipped out the door.

A few moments later she came back, closing her door gently behind her. Lucas now sat on her bed, looking up at her nervously. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” she said, shaking her head. “I just didn’t want them to, you know...think they were alone in the house and start doing it or something.” She turned her stereo up a little bit, in an attempt to drown out Lucas’s voice.

“What were you saying about Mike?” he asked her once she sat down.

“Huh? Oh! Why don’t you call him, have him come pick you up?”

Lucas nodded. Glancing at his phone, he looked at the time-9:13. Mike should just be getting out of work. He dialed his friend’s phone, and after a few rings, Mike picked up. “Lucas? What’s up?”

Lucas sighed. “Help me, Obi-Wan. You’re my only hope.”

 

Lucas explained what the situation was, and after Mike laughed at him, agreed he’d come pick him up. When he got off the phone, Lucas got dressed while Max straightened up her bed.

“Did you tell your dad about Billy taking your car?” Lucas asked as they waited.

Max shook her head. “ _ Step _ dad, and no.”

“Why not?”

“Because…” she trailed off, not knowing how to answer. 

“Because of what?”

She sighed. “As much as Billy is an ass, Neil...he can be one sometimes, too. I mean...I told you about the two of them getting into that fight a few months ago.”

Lucas nodded. He knew Max’s home life was definitely not the best situation, and it made him feel blessed to have a loving family (even if Erica was a part of it).

“And,” she continued, “I don’t know. I guess a part of me is worried that one day it’ll get so bad or whatever they’ll really hurt one another.”

“Why doesn’t Billy just move out?”

Max chuckled. “He keeps saying he will. There’s days when he doesn’t come home and we all think he just moved out without saying anything. But I don’t know. I just don’t want to make things worse, I guess.”

Lucas nodded, just as his phone buzzed, alerting him of a text. Glancing at it, he said, “Mike’s here.”

Max nodded, as they both stood. “So I’ll see you tomorrow?” he asked, moving closer to her.

“Hopefully I’ll have my car back by then,” she said as he held her. She leaned up and they kissed.

“If not, I’ll track Billy down,” Lucas joked as they pulled away, “And show him who’s boss.”

“Now  _ that _ is stupid,” she said.

“Aw, c’mon Maxine, I…”

She pushed him, playfully. “Don’t  _ call _ me that.”

He fell back a few steps, banging into her desk. “Shit, sorry,” he said. A few things had fallen on the floor, and he bent down to pick them up. One thing in particular caught his attention. Holding up the envelope, he asked, “USC?”

Max’s eyes widened for a second, and she grabbed it from his hand. “It’s nothing.”

“You’re...are you going back to California?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I’m just looking at places. Besides, I told you I want to go back there someday.”

“Yeah, but…” his phone buzzed, Mike getting impatient. He texted his friend, saying he’d be out in a minute.

“Look...can we talk about this another time? Like, maybe when you’re not sneaking out of my room?” Max asked.

Lucas nodded, but Max could see he was hurt. “Sure. Um…” he walked to the window, and pulled it open. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay,” she said.

He climbed out, and with one last look at her, scrambled away.

 

Mike was parked a house away, and Lucas climbed into the passenger seat.

“Thanks for coming to get me,” he said to Mike as he buckled up.

“Yeah, no problem,” Mike said, putting the car in gear. “But I gotta go by Benny’s, so you’re stuck with me for a while.”

“Why’re we going to Benny’s?”

“Jane,” Mike answered as they made a turn. “She gets out at ten, needs a ride.”

Lucas nodded, resting his head on the cushion behind him. They drove silently for a few minutes, until Mike asked, “Something wrong?”

“Besides having to sneak out my girlfriend’s window, you mean?”

“Yeah, besides that.”

Sighing, Lucas said “Max. She, uh...she’s looking at schools in California.”

“So? You already knew she wanted to go back someday.”

“Yeah, but...I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I just thought we’d end up going to the same college, you know?”

“You still could.” Shaking his head, Mike asked, “How have you two not talked about that yet?”

“Have you and Jane talked about it?”

Mike got quiet for a moment, then answered “We haven’t been dating as long as you two have.”

“Yeah, I know,” Lucas said. “Sorry about that.” Shaking his head, he continued, saying “We’re still juniors. I thought I’d have at least until this summer to talk things out with her, decide if we want to go to the same school.”

“You’re telling me you haven’t looked at any schools yet?” Mike asked.

“No, I have,” Lucas admitted, “But I haven’t looked at any in Cali _ fornia _ . I mean, if she was going back west, I thought she’d have said something to me.”

“You said she’s just looking,” Mike said, turning onto the road leading to Benny’s. “It’s not like she’s going tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“What’d she say about it?”

“Nothing. She wanted to talk about it later.”

Mike shrugged. “So talk about it later.”

 

When they arrived at Benny’s, the parking lot was nearly bare, and the two got out and made their way into the restaurant. A man and woman were the only customers, sitting in a booth together. Benny himself was stacking chairs, and Jane was behind the counter, wiping it down. She looked up as Lucas and Mike entered, and smiled at the two.

“Hey,” she said to the two. 

“Hi. Lucas needed a ride,” Mike explained. “So…”

“Hey Jane,” Lucas said as he and Mike sat at one of the few tables that still had chairs.

“Hi, Lucas,” she responded.

Benny walked by, and said hi to the two boys. By now he was used to Mike’s frequent appearances at his establishment, and was beginning to get used to seeing Lucas as well. “You guys want a milkshake or something?” he asked.

“No thanks,” Mike said.

“I will,” answered Lucas.

Benny nodded, and went back to the kitchen.

Mike glanced at his watch-9:52-and asked Lucas what his parents thought he was doing.

Shrugging, he answered, “They think I’m out somewhere with Max, seeing a movie or something.”

“They’re not gonna be suspicious if I drop you off?”

Lucas shook his head. “They’ll probably be asleep.”

Mike nodded. Leaning over the table, he quietly said “I  _ have _ thought about, you know...college. What’ll happen with me and Jane. I really hope we end up going to the same school, or somewhere close to each other.”

“I thought you said you two haven’t dated that long,” Lucas said with a grin.

“We  _ haven’t _ ,” Mike said, still whispering. “But...I  _ like _ her, Lucas. I mean...I  _ really _ like her. And I don’t…” he stopped, looking up as Jane made her way over.

Jane walked over, sitting in the empty chair next to Mike. Leaning over, she gave him a quick kiss. “So, what’s going on?”

“Lucas almost got caught,” Mike said, nodding at his friend.

“Mike…” Lucas began.

“Got caught at what?” Jane asked.

So, despite Lucas’s eye rolls, Mike told Jane about the situation Lucas had found himself in prior to their arrival. Jane giggled once the story was finished.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“Yeah, right,” Lucas said. Benny walked by and dropped off a milkshake in front of him. Lucas thanked him, then took a sip. Turning to Jane, he asked, “Do you know where you want to go to school?”

She looked at him confused. “Uh...what?”

“College. Do you know where you want to go?”

“Why?”

Ignoring the look Mike was giving him, Lucas kept on. “Max...she’s looking at USC. I don’t know. I guess I was hoping she’d want to stay close.”

Jane shrugged. “I mean, she could be just casting a wide net. Has she applied?”

Lucas shrugged his own shoulders. “I don’t know. I don’t think so.”

Jane sighed. “I guess I always thought I’d be going to school in Chicago, but since I’ve moved here….I’m not so sure.”

“I guess it’s different if you’re from somewhere else originally,” Mike said. “I don’t blame people for trying to get out of Hawkins.”

“Did you talk to her about it?” Jane asked Lucas.

“Not really.”

“Don’t you think you should?”

“My point exactly,” Mike said.

A few minutes later the only customers were checked out by Benny, and the three teens were given the heave ho. Jane let Lucas have the passenger seat as she climbed into the back of Mike’s car. Jane’s house was closer, so hers was the first stop Mike made.

When they arrived, Jane said goodbye to Lucas as she and Mike got out of the car. Lucas watched as the two paused at the front door, talking about something. Mike said something, which caused Jane to laugh. She said something back, and Mike nodded.

Though Lucas had been with Max longer than Mike had been with Jane, a part of him felt... _ was jealous the right word? _ ...at how easy things came with Mike and Jane. The two had an easy chemistry, and if you looked at both couples from afar, some people might say it was Jane and Mike who’d been dating longer. Lucas was still getting to know Jane, but he could see that she made Mike happy, and that it was the same the other way around.

Lucas watched as the two wrapped up their conversation, then leaned in and kissed. As Mike began to turn back towards the car, Lucas looked away, hoping he hadn’t been caught spying.

“Enjoy the show?” Mike asked as he climbed in, shutting the door behind him.

“Not really,” Lucas answered. “Your big head was blocking everything.”

Mike smirked, then proceeded to pull out of the driveway. 

“I wasn’t trying to get back at you,” Lucas said once they were on the road. When Mike looked confused, he added “by asking Jane about college.”

“Oh,” Mike said, shaking his head. “I didn’t think you were.”

Things were quiet for a moment, until Lucas asked, “What were you about to say?”

“What?”

“Back at Benny’s. You started to say something when we were talking about college. Before Jane came to the table.”

“Uh…” Mike looked like he was thinking, before a light switched on. “I was just saying I like her. And I don’t...I don’t want to end up losing her, I guess. It’d be cool if we got into the same school, but I know that’s kind of...far-fetched.”

Lucas nodded as they arrived on Maple Street. 

“Anyway, I’m sure we’ll, you know...talk about it when it’s that time, but for now...I’m just going to try not to think about it.” As he parked in Lucas’s driveway, a house one down from his own, Mike turned to his friend. “But if it’s bothering you, say something to Max. Maybe she always thought you’d be going to California with her.”

Lucas nodded again. “Thanks, Mike.”

“Anytime,” Mike replied, as Lucas got out of the car.

 

After breakfast the next morning, Lucas got a text from Max, asking to be picked up for work.

When he arrived, a light rain was beginning to fall. He noticed Max’s car was absent from the front of the house, and when she came out to get into his car, she looked mad.

“Stupid Billy,” she muttered as she climbed in.

“Still no word, huh?”

“ _ No _ ,” she said, closing the passenger door. “I even tried calling him, it goes straight to voicemail.”

“Did your parents ask you about it?”

“No,” she said, folding her arms. “I don’t think they noticed yet.”

“I told you I’d track him down for you,” Lucas said as he got on the road.

“And I told you how stupid that is,” she responded, softening up a little. “But if he’s not back by the time my shift is over, feel free,” she said quietly.

When they arrived at Bradley’s Big Buy, Max’s place of employment, she put a hand on his as he got ready to say goodbye.

“Hey.”

He looked over at her. “Yeah?”

She sighed. “About that...USC thing…”

“Look, I’m sorry. That was just an overreaction from me, and…”

“Well,  _ yeah _ , but not really,” she said, grinning. “If I saw a brochure to, like, Notre Dame or something in your room I’d be pretty pissed off.”

He made a face. “Why would I go to Notre Dame?”

“You know what I mean,” she said. “Anyway, my dad sent me that. I told him I haven’t looked at any colleges yet, and  _ he _ went to USC, so he sent me their brochure.”

“Oh. You mean...you don’t want to go there?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know  _ where _ I want to go yet, to be honest. Maybe USC, maybe Indiana, maybe somewhere else. But I’d always kind of hoped we’d be going to schools that were close to each other.”

“You were?”

Now she made a face. “Well,  _ duh _ , stalker. I love you.”

He smiled. They didn’t say it too often, but when they did, it was like music to both of their ears. “Love you too, Red.”

She blushed, ducking her head a little. “And when we finally  _ do _ start thinking about schools and stuff, we’re going to talk to each other, right?”

“Yeah,” he said, nodding. “I know you want to go back to California, and I don’t want to keep you from it or anything. I don’t want you feel like you can’t go because of me.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” she said, shaking her head. “If I go, I’m taking you with me, dumbass.” He grinned, and she leaned over the seat and kissed him. “But seriously,” she said, starting to get out of the car, “You gotta come out there with me sometime. You’d love it.“

Lucas nodded. “Maybe. When do you get out of work?”

“Six,” she said, opening the door.

“Then I’ll be here,” he said.

She smiled, and got out of the car, waving at him as she made her way into the grocery store.

Lucas himself smiled as he put his car in reverse. Maybe California wouldn’t be that bad, he thought. As long as he had Max, though, everything would work out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this series has been kind of all over the place, but I'm working towards an ending. The next chapter, whenever it happens, will be another sort of self-contained/one shot type story. But the last two chapters will be connected, bringing some drama and a conclusion.  
> Next week I should have something new up. Thanks for reading.


	4. Mike vs Mike

It was lunchtime at Hawkins High, and Mike was the first to find himself at the group’s usual table near the back of the lunchroom. It’d been an uneventful Tuesday so far; an assignment in this class, a chapter to read for that class.

Same old, same old.

Will was the first of his friends to join him, sitting down across from him with his bagged lunch. The two talked for a few minutes, catching up, until Dustin joined them a few minutes later. As Dustin joined their conversation, Mike scanned the lunchroom for his tardy girlfriend.

“You guys seen Jane?” he finally asked.

Dustin shook his head. “Lady Jane? No, I’ve not seen her,” he said with a mock British accent.

“She’s usually here by now,” Mike commented.

“She’s probably just getting something from her locker,” Will said.

“Yeah, probably,” Mike said.

A few moments later they were joined by Lucas and Max, with the two of them taking a spot next to Will. Max noticed Mike’s wandering eye, and asked “Looking for your girl, Wheeler?”

Mike made a face. “She’s never this late.”

“Try texting her or something,” Lucas suggested.

But Mike shook his head. “Her phone’s always on silence during school. What was her last class?”

“Shouldn’t  _ you _ know?” Will asked.

Mike nodded, agreeing. “French. That was her last class. I’m going to go see if she’s…” He stopped, seeing Jane entering the lunchroom.

And she wasn’t alone.

She was talking to another guy which, by itself wasn’t necessarily going to make Mike worry. But the guy she was talking to was, well,  _ much _ better looking than Mike, he had to admit. The tall and blonde teen she was with was nodding his head to something Jane was saying, then making a comment that had Jane nod as well, smiling.

“There she is,” Dustin said, noticing Mike’s gaze. Squinting, he asked, “Who’s she with?”

“Don’t…” Mike began, but it was too late, as the rest of his friends turned, almost in unison, to see who this mystery guy was.

“He’s cute,” Max said, almost to herself.

“Hey,” Lucas objected.

“Don’t worry, stalker, you’re still the belle of the ball,” Max said, turning back around.

The rest of the group turned back, except for Mike. He continued watching Jane and this... _ dude _ ...talk. Jane looked over towards their table and her eyes met Mike’s before he could look away. She smiled at him, and said something to her companion, who adjusted his backpack on his letterman-jacket arm. He shook his head, said something, and then walked off.

A moment later Jane was approaching the table, all smiles as Mike remembered it was lunch, and he hadn’t touched his food yet.

“Hey,” she said as she took her spot next to Mike.

“Hey yourself. Uh...everything okay?”

She nodded, and took her lunch out of her backpack.

“Lover boy was missing you,” Max commented.

Mike shot her a look, to which Max just rolled her eyes. 

Opening her lunch, Jane said “Mrs. Jordan asked me to stay after for a minute.”

“What for?” Mike asked.

Jane took a bite from her sandwich before she answered, saying “She wanted to know if I’d tutor someone.”

“That guy you were talking to?” Dustin asked.

She nodded, and smiled, turning to her boyfriend. “And you want to know something funny? His name’s Mike, too.”

“Ha,” Mike said, chuckling a little bit. He immediately hated this guy.  _ First he steals my name and now he’s trying to steal my girlfriend? _

“He’s cute,” Max said, which got another look of disgust from Lucas.

Jane shrugged. “I don’t know. But he seems nice. He’s on the swim team.”

“What’s his last name?” Will asked.

“Pillsbury.”

Mike coughed, choking on his drink. “That’s Mike  _ Pills _ bury?”

Jane looked confused. “Yeah…”

Mike looked at the other boys, who looked shocked as well.

“Um, does someone want to explain?” Max asked.

“It’s the Pillsbury Doughboy,” Dustin said quietly.

Lucas told them about Mike Pillsbury, a boy who they went to school with in first through fifth grade. When they group entered middle school he’d moved; apparently he was back.

“Back then he was...well, husky,” Dustin said.

“People called him the Pillsbury Doughboy,” Will said.

“Yeah, I got that part,” Max said.

“We were all in the same class,” Mike said. “The teacher would call me Mike W and him Mike P.”

“Ha, pee,” Dustin laughed.

Rolling his eyes, Mike continued “Anyway, his parents got divorced or something, and he moved. I didn’t know he was back.”

“...and looking good,” Max said.

“Okay, now I’m seriously starting to get offended,” Lucas said.

“So you’re tutoring him in French?” Mike asked.

Jane nodded.

“For how long?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. However long it takes. Why, is there a problem?”

“What? No! I was...just curious.”

“Real believable, Wheeler,” Max said softly.

The conversation turned to other events, as Jane and Max got into a conversation about their English class and the movie the two had seen over the weekend. Will talked to the guys about an assignment he was looking forward to in his art class.

However, all Mike could think about was Jane and this other Mike sitting in the library, speaking French to each other by candlelight. Struck by the ambience and Mike P’s good looks, Jane leans in, and he does too, and…

“Mike?” Jane asks, snapping him from his daydream.

“Wh...yeah?”

“It’s time to go to class,” she said.

Fully aware of things now, he looked up and saw his friends gathering their things. “Oh.  Uh, okay.” He snatched up his trash, and the two made their way towards the exit.

 

The afternoon wasn’t any easier. Mike’s next class he shared with Dustin who could see that Mike was bothered by the events from lunch. So Dustin, being the friend that he was, decided to tease Mike about it.

“Believe me, you’ve got nothing to worry about,” Dustin told him as they worked on an assignment.

“You think so?”

“Yeah, sure,” Dustin said, nodding. “I mean, what do you think is gonna happen? They go to a French restaurant, and eat French bread, and French kiss?”

Mike poked him with a pencil.

When school ended for the day, Mike and Lucas went to pick up their girlfriends from the class the girls shared, English Lit. When the girls finally emerged from the classroom, Mike smiled, feeling himself feel better as Jane smiled at him.

Since they’d began dating nearly four months ago, he knew there was something different about Jane. Granted, he had only dated a small handful of girls, but with Jane it was almost like he wasn’t  _ supposed _ to date anyone until she came along; she was all he needed (and could possibly ever need). Whenever she smiled at him, he felt invincible.

“Hey,” she said, walking over and giving him a quick kiss. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Do you need to stop by your locker?”

“Nope. I’m ready.”

Taking her hand, the two followed their friends as they headed to the parking lot, catching up on what they’d been up to since lunch. Neither had to work today, and the plan was to go to Mike’s house to do homework and hang out with each other.

When they got to Mike’s car, Jane paused before she got in, looking down at her phone.

“Something wrong?” Mike asked.

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I just got a text.”

“Max?” he asked, as they both got into the car.

Shutting the door, she said “No, from Mike P.”

_ This guy had her phone number? _ Mike thought.  _ Ugh! _ “What’s he want?”

Jane didn’t respond right away, texting back. Mike heard the sound of the text being sent, and then she looked up and said “He just wanted to know if we could meet tomorrow.”

“Oh.” Mike started the car, and the two were on their way.

 

When they arrived at Mike’s house, they climbed out and began heading in. When they got to the door, Jane put her hand on Mike’s, stopping him. “Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re not...jealous or anything, are you?” she asked.

“About what?”

“About the other Mike. Max said you might be.”

Mike chuckled. “Why would I be jealous?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Are you?”

“No, Jane, I’m fine.”

“Okay.”

They went inside and settled on the couch in the basement. Sitting on either side, their feet met in the middle; Jane’s on top of Mike’s.

It was rare that they both got the same day off, and had it been any other day but a school day, they’d find plenty of other things to do. But both were swamped with assignments, and figured they would use this time wisely. 

Glancing up from her math work, Jane looked at her boyfriend, and couldn’t keep the smile off of her face. He was focused on whatever it was he was reading, his pencil in his mouth as he concentrated; it was one of her favorite “Mike” looks.

She couldn’t believe they’d only dated for a few months; she  _ really _ liked Mike. He wasn’t like any other guy she’d dated; he was always so calm and collected, and always made her feel special in a way that no one else did. Lately, she’d been wondering if she was falling in love.

But it was too early for that, wasn’t it? You don’t fall for somebody after dating for only a few months. Still, she couldn’t fight the feeling she’d get in her stomach when he smiled at her, or how safe she felt when he did something as simple as holding her hand as they walked. He never tried to pressure her into anything. He was on her mind most of the day, and honestly she didn’t want that to change; was that love?

She’d never said it to a boy, nor had she ever felt the  _ need _ to say it before. She’d always thought you had to be intimate with someone to really tell, and although they hadn’t crossed that line  _ yet _ , it did float through her mind from time to time.

Would he freak out, she wondered, if she told him? Or does he feel the same way?

“Jane? You alright?”

She realized she must’ve been staring. He was looking at her with a curious expression.

“Yeah,” she said. “I’m good.”

 

The two worked on their homework until Mrs. Wheeler came home with Holly, at which time they went upstairs to have some of Karen’s world famous meatloaf. After dinner Mike took Jane home.

On the way to her front door, Mike said “Sorry if this was a crappy date.”

She smirked. “Date?”

“Yeah, doing homework on one of the few days we both have off is kinda...I don’t know, boring.”

“Don’t be silly,” she said, stopping at her door. “We got to see each other. That’s all I wanted, really,” she added with a shrug. “See you tomorrow?”

He nodded and moved in, the two meeting halfway as their lips met.

They pulled away, with Jane whispering “Bye, Mike.”

“Bye,” he said back with a grin.

 

Mike had almost forgotten about Jane and Mike P until he picked her up the next morning. Usually she would be walking out of the house as he pulled into the driveway, but today when he arrived, he’d been sitting in his car for a few minutes and she hadn’t come out yet.

Curious, he went and knocked on the front door.

She opened it, her eyes on her phone as her fingers worked on a text.

“Uh, Jane?” he asked.

“Sorry,” she said, head still down.

He frowned. “Max doesn’t need a ride, does she?”

“No, it’s…” she paused, reading something, then said “It’s Mike P. We’re trying to agree on when to meet.”

“Meet?”

She finally looked up at him. “Yeah, for tutoring.”

“Oh. Yeah.”

Mike heard heavy footsteps, and looked up in time to see Jane’s father, Jim Hopper, walk into the room, Jane’s backpack in his hand. “You’re going to be late,” he told her, tossing her bag onto the couch she stood next to.

“I know, I know,” she answered.

“Hey Mike,” the chief said.

“Hi.”

Jane texted something, then stuffed her phone into her pocket. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Once at school, Mike walked Jane to her first class, gave her a quick kiss, then went to his own. His first class was literature, which he usually enjoyed. But all he could think about was Jane and Mike P once again.

_ Were they still texting? _ Of course not, Jane had her phone off or on silent during the school day.

_ Would she eat lunch with him? _ Why would she?

_ What if she’s tutoring him, and he tries to kiss her, and she doesn’t stop him, and she likes it, and she breaks up with him in a text? _ This thought, though totally unrealistic, made Mike hate that name-stealing, doughboy jock sonovabitch even more.

By the time his second class-biology-came around, he was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that Will and Lucas, who he shared the class with, were noticing.

“What’s with you today?” Lucas asked him as the three of them began their experiment.

“Nothing,” Mike answered.

“Mike, you’re sulking,” Will said.

“No I’m not.”

“It’s Jane, isn’t it?” Lucas said. When Mike didn’t respond, Lucas rolled his eyes and said “Is this about that Pillsbury kid? You’re still not over that?”

“I told you, nothing’s wrong.”

“Mike, you look like you’re about to cry, throw up, or punch someone in the face,” Will said. Mike still didn’t say anything, so Will said “Nothing’s going to happen with them, Mike. Jane likes you too much.”

“But he’s…”

“He’s what?” Lucas asked when Mike trailed off.

“He’s...good looking. And a jock. What if she realizes I’m just a nerd that likes Star Wars?”

“If she hasn’t realized that by now, I feel sorry for her,” Lucas said.

“Mike,” Will said, “She  _ knows _ all that and she still likes you. You don’t need to be jealous.”

He nodded his head, and tried to concentrate on their work.

 

At lunch, Mike felt his phone buzz as he got a text from Jane, telling him that she was eating lunch in the French room in order to help Mike P study.

Mike (W) started to go to the French room, too, but his friends stopped him, telling him how possessive he’d look if he showed up.

“Just let them work, Wheeler,  _ gosh _ ,” Max had said.

He cooled off a little in the afternoon, and felt himself feel better at the end of the day when he and Lucas met their girls after the bell rang.

“Hey, you,” Jane said, smiling as she walked to him.

“Hey,” he said, giving her a quick kiss. “I missed you at lunch.”

She sighed. “Yeah, Mike thought it’d be a good idea to work at lunch. I figured it couldn’t hurt.”

“Mm,” he said, taking her hand as they walked out of the school.

Unfortunately they both had to work, so Jane caught a ride with Dustin to their shared place of employment. Mike went to Callahan’s Coffee and put Jane & Mike P out of his mind for a few hours. When his lunch break came along, however, he thought he’d go to Benny’s and surprise her with a quick visit.

 

When he arrived at Benny’s Burgers, he didn’t see her right away. It wasn’t until he approached the counter to pick up the order he’d called in that he saw her, sitting in a booth with (who else?) Mike P.

The two sat across from one another, Jane talking about something while the other Mike nodded and said something back.

Mike paid for his food, and walked over to the table, causing Jane to look up and smile. “Hey! I didn’t know you were coming in.” She stood up, and gave him a hug.

“Yeah, I was...trying to surprise you,” he said as she sat back down.

She nodded. “Mike, I’d like you to meet Mike.”

The two Mikes looked at one another, and Mike P nodded his head in a greeting. “Mrs. Keefe, fourth grade, right?”

“Right,” Mike said.

“Wow. So how’ve you been, man?”

“Pretty good,” Mike answered. “You?”

“Not too bad, thanks to your girl Jane here,” he said, motioning towards Jane.

_ Yeah,  _ my _ Jane _ , Mike thought.

“Just glad I can help,” Jane said. Looking to her boyfriend, she asked “Did you want to sit with us? I still have about ten minutes left on my break.”

Mike shook his head, saying “I’ll let you two get back to work.”

She frowned. “Okay. I’ll text you later, alright?”

Mike nodded, then remembered something. “Did you need a ride home?”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Mike’s going to give me a ride home.”

“Oh.”  _ Oh _ . “You sure?”

“It’s no problem,” Mike P said. “I live nearby, and I don’t mind.” Smiling at Mike, he added “I got her.”

Mike felt his fist clench, but he let out a breath and unclenched. “Okay. Thanks, I guess.”

“It’s the least I could do, with all the help she’s giving me.”

He said goodbye to Jane, and went back to work. He couldn’t enjoy his food or focus on work as he kept seeing that grin on Mike P’s face when he’d said  _ I got her _ .

He told Lucas about it, and after a chuckle, Lucas said “You know I was just messing around before, don’t you? Jane really is crazy about you.”

“But he’s  _ driving her home _ , Lucas. Wouldn’t you be mad if some idiot was giving Max a ride home in his car?”

“Well, yeah, but I trust Max. Don’t you trust Jane?”

“Of course,” Mike answered. “I just don’t trust  _ him _ .”

“You don’t even know the guy,” Lucas laughed.

Mike had to admit that his friend was right; but he still didn’t like this situation.

 

Things finally came out in the open on Friday. At lunch, Mike was the first of the party to arrive at their designated table, and he spent a few minutes looking for Jane. Will and Dustin were the next to arrive, and a few minutes later Lucas came with Max.

“She’s in line,” Max said to Mike, seeing his eyes searching the cafeteria.

“Oh.”

And a few minutes later he saw her, carrying her lunch tray as she joined the group at their table. The conversation was friendly, as the group tossed around ideas for the upcoming weekend. Under the table, Jane’s hand found Mike’s, and he smiled to himself as they finished their food, holding hands.

When it was time for their next class, Jane remembered that she had to grab some books from her locker. She and Mike said goodbye to their friends, and Mike walked with her.

“I was thinking,” he said as they arrived at her locker. “I know you don’t have to work tonight. I get off at nine. You think your dad would mind if I came by? Maybe we could watch a movie.”

She made a face as she opened her locker, and said “I wish I could, but I’m tutoring Mike P at the library. I’m not sure when we’ll be done.”

“Again?” he asked, with more frustration than he wished.

She looked at him, confused. “What?”

“How much tutoring does this guy need? You’ve been meeting him during lunch, at work, now on a Friday night. I mean, unless he’s the dumbest guy in the world, he doesn’t need that much tutoring.”

Jane looked upset, and answered with “For your information, today was supposed to be the last session.”

Mike paused. “Oh.”

She closed her locker, and turned to him. “Why’re you so upset?”

“I’m not…”

She gave him a look.

Mike rolled his eyes, and said “I don’t like this guy, Jane. And I mean, if he’s not getting it by now, then maybe you’re not that good of…” he stopped himself, and felt his ears turn red.

She raised an eyebrow. “What, now you’re saying I’m not a good tutor?”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Then what  _ did _ you mean?”

“I...uh...I just don’t want him taking advantage of you, Jane, that’s all.”

“He’s  _ not _ ,” she said, somewhat loud. People passing by gave them a look. “There’s nothing happening with me and Mike P. And for your information, he’s made great progress, Mike.”

“I’m sure he has, Jane. I just don’t like you hanging out with him, that’s all.”

“Mike, I’m  _ tutoring _ him. Why’re you so possessive all of a sudden?”

“Well, because I don’t like seeing my girlfriend with some jock idiot.”

“He’s not an idiot,” she said, shoving her book into her backpack. “And I can help who I want, Mike.”

“I know, Jane, I just…”

“I’ve gotta go,” she said, turning and walking away. Mike watched her go, regretting his words.

 

When school ended, Jane took a quick detour home before heading to the library. She didn’t even bother to wait for Mike to give her a ride, she let Max drop her off.

She was so... _ mad _ wasn’t the word, more like... _ disappointed _ with Mike. He’d never come off as the jealous type, and that was one of the things she loved ( _ there’s that word again _ ) about him. Sure, he could get insecure at times, but she didn’t get why; he was amazing in so many ways. He was one of the smartest people she knew, extremely creative, super cute, and funny. Didn’t he know he had nothing to fear?

Still, as she pedaled her bike to the library, she couldn’t help but still feel upset with how he’d gone about the whole thing. If he’d talked to her like a reasonable person, then she may not have stormed off like she did.

Mike P was waiting outside the library, and grinned when he saw her. After she’d parked her bike, though, his grin turned to a frown as he saw her face. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” she said, shaking her head. “Just...my boyfriend is being annoying.”

“Oh. Anything you want to talk about?”

“No,” she responded. “Let’s just get to work.”

The next two hours were spent preparing for the upcoming French test, with Jane giving Mike P some review on what she thought would be on it. Twice she got a text from her boyfriend, apologizing, but she rolled her eyes and put her phone away, not ready to talk to him just yet.

Mike P noticed.

A little after seven, they wrapped up their tutoring.

“Thanks for your help,” Mike P told her as they stepped outside.

“Of course,” Jane said, looking at the time on her phone.

“You want a ride home?”

“No, I’ve got my bike,” she said.

“Okay. Well, again, thanks.” And, to her surprise, he leaned in, lips puckered.

“ _ Whoa! _ ” she said, taking a step back. “What’re you doing?”

“I thought…” he looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry. You were complaining about your boyfriend, and ignoring him. I just thought…”

“That I was up for grabs?” she asked. “I’m with  _ Mike _ . And I plan on being with him for a while. But even if I weren’t, you’re not my type.”

“Oh.” His cheeks flushed. “Sorry.”

She sighed, and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Look, just...good luck with the test, okay?”

He nodded.

 

When Mike got off of work, he debated driving over to Jane’s house, but her lack of communication told him that maybe he should leave her alone. So he went home instead.

He was surprised, however, when he pulled into his driveway and saw her waiting at his front door.

“Hey,” he said to her as he walked towards her.

She gave him a small smile. “Hi.”

“Look,” he began. “Jane, I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too.”

He scrunched his face. “For what? I was the one acting like a jerk.”

“Yeah, you were,” she said, grinning. “But I could’ve reacted better, too.”

He nodded.

“But Mike,” she said, walking closer, “You have to know I would  _ never _ have let something happen. Whether it’s Mike P or some other guy. You’re the one for me.”

He smiled. “Yeah?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

Mike smiled, and pulled her close, hugging her. “It won’t happen again,” he whispered into her hair. She tilted her head, and the two shared a kiss.

“Besides,” he said. “You’re the one for me, too.”

She smiled. “Still want to watch that movie?”

“Only if I get to pick.”

She rolled her eyes. Taking his hand, the two walked inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't quit this series.  
> My goal was to wrap this up in two more chapters, but ideas keep coming to me. Speaking of which...  
> I wanted your input. I'm considering writing Mike & Jane's first time together; it'd be smut, but lite-smut. Would anyone be interested in reading? Let me know in the comments, so I can plan what's next.


	5. Mommy & Daddy Issues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have had some of the worst writer's block ever during the past few weeks. Thanks to those that are still with me, we're slowly building towards something...

Jim Hopper was happy. It was a Friday night, he’d had the day off, his daughter was out with her friends and dating a boy that he actually approved of. They’d been getting along well lately, he and Jane. A few days ago he’d barbecued, and invited Mike Wheeler over. The boy was always nervous around him, but Jim liked him, just the same. He and Jane were scheduled to see a movie soon, some scary movie she wanted to see.

He’d caught one of his own favorite movies on TV earlier, the Indiana Pacers were playing well. Yep, things were going well for Hawkins’ chief of police.

He currently lay in his bed, hand behind his head as he let out a sigh of content. He turned his head, slightly, to the other person in his bed. “You awake?”

The small and warm body next to him stirred, but didn’t answer; instead, she cuddled into his side.

He breathed a small laugh, then wrapped an arm around her as she moved even closer, letting out a sigh as she settled.

This was nice, Hopper thought.

In fact, he could’ve stayed like this for awhile, but being a cop gave him better ears than most, and he could hear the front door being unlocked, opened, and then closed.

“ _Shit_ ,” he whispered, sitting up.

The body next to him, Joyce Byers, opened her eyes and looked up at him. “What?”

“Jane’s home,” he said, climbing out of bed and grabbing his pants.

Joyce sat up, eyes wide as she felt herself start to panic. “I thought you said she was going to the movies,” she said, getting out of bed and picking up her clothes.

“I thought she was,” Hopper said, throwing on a shirt. He put up a hand to stop Joyce, and said “I’ll be right back.”

He opened his door, just as Jane had made her way to the top of the stairs, eyes on her phone. She looked up as he made his way out of his room.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” she said, no doubt surprised by his disheveled look.

“I thought you and your friends were going to the movies.”

She shrugged. “We couldn’t agree on anything.” She looked him over. “Is something wrong?”

“No, uh...everything’s fine. You just surprised me, is all. You didn’t want to hang out with Mike?”

“He has to work in the morning, so no,” she said, frowning. “Tomorrow, probably.” Her eyes went back to her phone as it beeped, and she smiled at it.

“Alright, then. Goodnight,” he said, turning back around.

“Night,” she answered, still looking at her phone as she went into her room.

When he heard her door close, Hopper rushed back into his room, where Joyce had (thankfully) quietly gotten dressed. She now sat at the end of the bed, tying her shoes.

“Everything okay?” she asked.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. They couldn’t decide on a movie.” He sighed, putting his hands in his pockets.

She nodded, and stood up. “We’re going to have to tell them,” she commented.

Hopper chuckled softly. “Or we can just keep sneaking around. It’s better this way, isn’t it? Kinda like high school.” Joyce sighed, shaking her head as she walked over, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Looking up at him, she said “I don’t like lying to Will.”

“And I don’t like lying to Jane,” he said. “I’m just not sure how she’d take it if she found out I’m hooking up with her friend’s mom.”

Joyce raised an eyebrow. “Hooking up? Is that all we’re doing?”

Hopper rolled his eyes. “Jesus, Joyce. You know what I mean.”

She smirked, as he stooped down and she stood higher as the two shared a kiss.

“I’d better go,” she muttered as they pulled away. “Is the coast clear?”

Hopper nodded. “Jane’s in her room. Let’s go.” Leading the way, Hopper walked Joyce quietly down the stairs, and the two tiptoed out the front door.

“You’re right, this _is_ just like high school,” Joyce muttered as the two got outside. They walked a few houses down, where Joyce had attempted to discreetly park her car. Once they arrived at her Pinto, Hopper held the door open as Joyce climbed in.

“So, I’ll see you?” he asked, bending down to talk to her through the window.

“Yes, you’ll see me,” she answered, grinning. “It is a small town, after all.”

They both smirked at each other as Hopper stood back up, and Joyce started her car.

As she pulled away, Hopper let out a breath, happy they’d gotten away with it.

 

He thought back to how this whole thing had started out, with he and Joyce. There’d been something, briefly, between the two of them years ago in high school. But they had both decided they’d be better off as friends, and it appeared to be true. Recently, however, with Jane coming to live with him, Hopper felt he needed advice with raising a teenage daughter. And he couldn’t think of a better person than Joyce. So the two had reconnected, chatting more than they had since Hopper had moved back to Hawkins.

Then, three weeks ago, Jane left to spend a long weekend in Chicago to visit some of her friends. Hopper invited Joyce over for dinner as a thanks for her help with Jane.

One thing had led to another….

And for the past three weeks, they’d been seeing each other when they had a chance; lunch at the station, meeting at a bar to chat. The occasional “hook up” when Hopper knew Jane would be out for a while. As much fun as it was, he meant what he’d said to Joyce; he didn’t like lying to Jane, and he knew that she felt the same with Will. But now that the two students were friends, Hopper was afraid how things would affect the group of teens.

And as much as he kidded with her about it, he _did_ want to make things official with Joyce; she deserved that much.

When he got home, and had closed the front door behind him, he was surprised to see Jane in the kitchen, getting a snack from the fridge. “Where’d you go?” she asked.

“Um...the Kowalskis, down the street, had a complaint about something.”

“Oh. Well, goodnight,” she said, giving him a smile before heading upstairs.

“Goodnight,” he said back.

 

“I think my dad is hiding something,” Jane told Mike the next day. Mike’s workday was over, and Jane had biked to his house to spend time with him before they met up with their friends.

“What makes you say that?” Mike asked. The two currently sat on the basement’s couch, Jane’s head resting on her boyfriend’s shoulder as she fidgeted with their held hands.

Shrugging, Jane answered with “He just seems...I don’t know...sneaky or something. Like, last night, he went out to go and see the neighbors. He’s _never_ done that before.”

“Why’d he see them?”

“Something about a complaint or something.”

“Hm. What do you think he’s hiding?”

“I don’t know,” she said, closing her eyes. Opening them, she turned her head slightly to look at him. “ _You_ aren’t hiding anything, are you?”

“What do I have to hide?”

“I don’t know,” she said, closing her eyes once more. “Maybe I’m just being paranoid.”

Mike sighed. “Well, I _am_ hiding _some_ thing. I didn’t want to tell you, but…”

Jane’s eyes opened again as she looked at Mike.

“I...whew, this is hard to say...just...I farted when you went to use the bathroom.”

Jane started laughing, her body shaking against his as he joined in. “You are such a _mouth_ breather,” she said, lightly hitting him. She looked back up at him and asked, “Did you really?”

“What, fart? Not this time.”

She smiled, and hit him again. “You’re so _weird_ , Mike Wheeler.”

“And you’re so beautiful, Jane Hopper.”

Leaning closer, she kissed him, and smiled as he kissed her back, pulling her a bit closer. When they pulled apart, Jane’s head returned to his shoulder. That word again, that “l” word, crept back into her mind. _Should she tell him? Was now the time?_

“Mike?” she started to say.

“Yeah?” he asked, looking down.

She sighed. “This is one of my four favorite places in Hawkins.”

“What, my basement?”

She nodded.

“What’re your other three?”

She sat up. “My bedroom, and the library.”

“What’s the last one?”

She felt herself blush before she said, “Anyplace with you.”

He smiled at her, and kissed her forehead. “That’s the only place I really like in Hawkins.”

“Not your own house?” she asked.

“Well, okay, my house, too. And my car. And the movie theater. And…”

Mike’s cell phone buzzed, someone texting him. Jane moved over so he could get up to reach it.

“It’s Max,” he said once he looked at it. “I guess we’re just going to hang out at The Palace.”

 

The Palace Arcade had made a few upgrades since it’s early days in Hawkins. The simple video arcade now included more current games and prizes. On the way there, Mike added The Palace to his list of favorite places. Jane wasn’t the biggest fan, as it was so loud with people screaming and the sounds of the games. But she went anyway because she knew how much her friends enjoyed it.

Mike and Jane found their friends at a table in the snack bar, waiting for them.

“You couldn’t think of anywhere else?” Jane asked as she and Mike sat.

Max shrugged. “That’s the thing about these small towns, not much to do.”

“That’s because you compare everything to California,” Lucas said. “I’m sorry, but not every city has a beach.”

“We should go into the city one day,” Will suggested.

“And do what?” Dustin asked.

Will shrugged. “I don’t know. Something.”

“What’ve you two been up to?” Lucas asked Mike and Jane.

“Talking about my dad,” Jane said. “I think he’s got a secret.”

“Jane thinks he’s dating somebody,” Mike said.

“No, _you_ said that,” she countered.

“Whoa, what if he was dating your mom, Mike?” Will asked.

“ _Ugh_!” Mike said, making a face.

“Wow, you could be dating your sister,” Dustin teased.

“That is so not even funny,” Mike said as the same time Jane made a face. Noticing it, Mike turned to her. “What’s wrong with my mom?” he asked.

“What’s wrong with my dad?” she asked with a smile.

“Guys, guys,” Lucas said. “You’re brother and sister, you shouldn’t fight like this.”

The group spent the next few hours playing games and making fun of Mike and Jane’s possible situation before they decided to call it a night.

 

The next day Will had the early shift at Melvald’s. When his lunch break came, Dana, a coworker, dropped him off at his house. Will sometimes spent his weekend lunch breaks at home, sketching or working on something. Dana lived nearby, so Will had taken her up on her offer of a ride (plus she was kind of cute).

His mom’s car was in the driveway, and as he entered, he heard the shower running. Will made a beeline to his room and began drawing.

He’d been sitting and drawing for a few minutes when he heard the shower go off and the bathroom door open. He was just about to shout out to his mom that he was home when there was a knock at the front door. His door open a crack, he heard his mom answer it.

“Jim, what’re you doing here?” he heard his mom ask. Will smirked. Jane’s dad.

“You left this over at my house,” Will heard Hopper say.

“Oh. Thanks.” There was a shuffling of something, and Will got off his bed and walked to the hallway to eavesdrop.

What he saw next made his jaw drop.

From where he stood, Will had a clear view of the front door. His mom’s back was to him, and Hopper’s big figure filled the doorway. If the police chief looked up, he’d be able to see Will, but currently it seemed Hawkins’ Chief of Police only had eyes for one thing:

Will’s mom.

His arms were wrapped around her waist as she leaned up, planting a kiss on Hopper’s bearded face.

“Ooh, did you just shower?” Hopper asked as they pulled apart.

“The towel didn’t give it away?” Will’s mom (who wore a towel wrapped in her hair and around her waist) asked, teasingly.

“Well, why don’t we just get rid of it,” Hopper teased back, reaching for the tucked end. Joyce laughed, turning away.

And that’s when she saw Will.

Their eyes met, both eyes wide as they realized they’d been caught.

“Hi, sweetie,” Joyce said, tucking the towel even tighter. “I didn’t know you were home.”

“I….” Will’s eyes went from his mom, to Hopper (who looked extremely embarrassed), to anywhere else but their faces. “I, uh...I came home for lunch.”

Hopper’s walkie crackled, and Flo’s voice came on, alerting him to a disturbance in town. “Be right there, Flo,” Hopper said into the walkie. Looking to Joyce, he said “Uh…”

“Just go,” she said back.

Hopper nodded, gave a look to Will, then turned around and left. Joyce closed the door behind him.

“Will…” she began.

“You’re dating _Hopper_?” Will asked.

“I wanted to tell you,” Joyce explained. “I just couldn’t find the right time.”

Will stood there, a million thoughts running through his mind. At the forefront? That he was having this conversation while his mom was in a towel.

“Can you, um, maybe put some clothes on,” he said, looking away.

Joyce looked down, saw what she was wearing, and turned a light shade of pink. “Don’t go anywhere,” she said, rushing past him and into the bathroom.

Moments later she returned in jeans and a t shirt, and found Will now sitting on the couch, looking at his phone.

“Good, you didn’t leave,” she said, sitting in the empty chair next to the couch.

“No, but Dana’s on her way to pick me up,” he explained.

“Look, Will, I shouldn’t have kept this from you, but…”

“Mom,” he said, cutting her off. “It’s...okay, I guess. A little weird, but...it’s okay.”

“Really?”

Will chuckled. “I guess I’m not as freaked out as I was a few minutes ago. I take it Jane doesn’t know?”

Joyce smiled weakly as she shook her head. “No.”

Will nodded. “I guess I just don’t understand why you kept it a secret.”

Joyce sighed. “We were afraid, I guess. Of how you two would react.” Outside, they both heard a car pull up. Will sat up a little, glancing out the window, and saw Dana’s car.

“I’ve got to go,” he told his mom.

She nodded. “Will? Thanks for...being okay with this.”

Will smiled. “You don’t need my permission, mom. I guess I’m just happy that you’re happy.”

Joyce felt tears coming, but sniffled, pushing them away. “Thank you.”

Will smiled once more before he left out the door.

Joyce breathed a sigh of relief; she was proud of her boy. She only hoped Jane would be happy for them, too.

 

Jane was _not_ going to be happy, Hopper thought as he headed back into town. It was bad enough that Will found out before either he or Joyce were ready to tell him, but for him to find out before Jane?

Hopper had been hoping he’d be able to talk to his daughter about it before Joyce told her son. Out of the two teens, Jim was sure Jane would have the bigger reaction, and it might be easier to transition to Will’s (hopeful) easygoing acceptance.

Oh, well.

He’d been called away about a bar fight, but as he’d gotten a few minutes away from Joyce’s home, Flo had called and said Powell was taking care of it. One less thing for him to worry about.

His phone was already ringing when he got back to his office, and, knowing what it was going to be about, he grimaced as he picked up the receiver.

“Chief Hopper,” he said into the receiver as he sat.

“Hey,” Joyce breathed into the phone.

“Hey yourself. You okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine. Will, uh...he was fine with it.”

Hopper let out a breath of relief, then sucked it back in, as he knew that meant _he_ had work to do now.

“He’s not going to tell Jane,” Joyce said. “I figured you’d want to tell her.”

_Not really_ , Hopper thought. What he said was “Yeah, sure.”

“Jim…”

“I will,” he said. “Just...I wasn’t planning on it happening today, Joyce.”

“Neither was I,” she said. “He’s a sneaky one, my Will. But Jane’s going to find out, eventually. Especially now that Will knows.”

Hopper rubbed his face. “Yeah. I’ll tell her tonight when I get off. I’ll call you after the damage.”

Joyce laughed, causing Jim to smile. After a pleasant moment of silence, Joyce said “Well, I guess I’ll talk to you tonight, then.”

“Yep. See ya, Joyce.”

“Bye, Hop.”

 

The group of teens didn’t have anything planned for that day, but eventually they all met at their usual spot, Mike’s basement, to play video games and watch TV for a little bit. The mood was mostly jovial, with jokes being tossed around, and the couples (Mike/Jane & Lucas/Max) cuddling on the couch.

Until Will arrived.

Mike noticed Will turn red almost immediately after he came in, and he absolutely _refused_ to look in Mike and Jane’s direction. Instead, he took a seat on the floor next to Dustin.

“Everything okay, Will?” Mike asked after a few minutes. The group was partyway into watching _The Last Jedi_.

“Yeah,” Will said, not turning around. “Everything’s fine.”

“Work go okay?” Jane asked.

Will cleared his throat, nodding, saying “Yep. Everything’s fine.”

“Did that guy with one eye come into the store again?” Lucas asked.

“No.”

“Did Jennifer Hayes show up?” Dustin asked.

“No, nothing happened,” Will said, forcing a smile as he turned around. When his eyes nearly landed on Jane and Mike, he looked away. “Can we just...watch the movie?”

The party shrugged and went back to the film.

 

“Will was weird, right?” Mike asked Jane as he drove her home. “I mean...more so than usual?”

Jane shrugged. “Will’s never weird. But yeah, it seemed like something was wrong.”

They arrived at the Hopper home, and Jane gave Mike a quick kiss before hopping out of the car. When she got in, she was surprised to see her dad sitting on the couch, drink in hand. Well, _that_ part wasn’t surprising, but the fact that the TV was off was a new one.

“Hey, dad,” she said as she entered the room.

“Hey, kid. Where you been?”

“Out with my friends. Did I do something wrong?”

“No, no,” he said, putting his beer down. “Just the opposite, actually. Did, uh...did you talk to Will?”

Jane looked confused. “A little. He was kind of quiet. Why? Did something happen?”

Hopper sighed. “Yeah, kinda. Um...his mom and I, uh...we’re seeing each other.”

It took a moment for Jane to comprehend what he said, but when she did, her face scrunched up. “You’re dating Will’s _mom_?”

“Yeah,” Hopper said, frowning. “Why, what’s wrong with her?”

“Nothing,” Jane said, shaking her head. “But I mean...there’s a whole town of women in Hawkins, and you’re dating my friend’s mom?”

“Jane, this town’s not that big,” Hopper said. “And besides, Joyce and I have a history. And I really like her.”

Jane sighed, then something registered. “Is that why you were acting weird the other night?”

“Uh, yeah. Something like that.”

Jane rolled her eyes. “Will knows?”

Hopper nodded. “He just found out today.” Jane shook her head, letting out a breath, causing Hopper to frown. “Say something, kid.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I honestly don’t know what to say here, dad. I mean...you’re both adults, you can do what you want, I guess.”

Hopper smirked. “Okay, then.” Not sure how to proceed, Jim looked at his beer bottle before looking back at his daughter. “Did you eat? I thought maybe we could…”

“I already ate,” she said, smiling weakly. “I’ve got some homework to finish up, though, so...I’m going to be in my room.”

“Alright,” Hopper said, rising. “Let me know if you need anything.”

She smiled at him, then climbed up the stairs to her bedroom.

Once in her room, Jane let out a breath, still in disbelief about what she’d just heard. _Dad and Mrs. Byers?_

Speaking of which….

She took her phone out and texted Max to call her in five minutes. In the meantime, she called Will’s number.

“He told you, huh?” Will asked when he picked up.

“This is just...too weird,” she said. “How’re you holding up?”

“I mean, there’s nothing I can do,” Will said. “It’s not ideal, but if they make each other happy, that’s all that matters, right?”

Jane smiled. “That’s very grown up thinking, Will.”

He chuckled. “My mom’s been being extra nice to me since I found out, though. I’m hoping I can ride this guilt trip to a flat screen TV in my room.”

Jane laughed. “My dad’s being weird, too. Maybe I’ll try and get a car.”

There was laughter on Will’s end before he asked, “Have you told Mike?”

“No, not yet. But I’m going to call him in a few minutes.”

There was silence for a moment before Will said “I can’t wait to hear what Dustin and Lucas will say when they find out.”

“Yeah, that’s going to be bad,” Jane admitted. Her phone beeped, and she saw she had an incoming call from Max. “Look, Will, I’ve got to go. I just wanted to see how you were with it.”

“I’m good, Jane. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

They clicked off, and Jane answered Max’s call. “You are not going to believe what happened,” she said into the phone.

 

A little while later, Hopper lay on the couch, Sporscenter on while he half-watched highlights of today’s basketball games. It was late, and he knew he should be getting into bed, but he just couldn’t muster the energy to get up.

The conversation with Jane had gone as well as he thought it’d go; maybe a little better. He hadn’t called Joyce, like he’d told her he would; they’d talk tomorrow.

He heard feet padding down the stairs, and he looked up to see Jane walking down. Their eyes met, and she stopped at the end of the stairs. “Hi.”

“Hey,” Jim said, sitting up.

“I, um...I wanted to say that….I guess I’m happy about you and Mrs. Byers.”

“It’s not too strange for you?”

“Oh, it _is_ ,” she said, walking into the room. “But I talked to Will, and he’s okay with it, so I guess I can be, too.”

Hopper nodded. “Thanks, kid.”

Jane smiled. “We’re not going to move in with them, are we?”

Hopper laughed. “Let’s not go getting ahead of ourselves, Jane.”

She nodded her head, and started to turn to go back upstairs.

“This weekend,” he said, making her turn around. “This weekend I was thinking about having Will and Joyce over, for a barbecue. Would you be okay with that?”

She thought for a moment. “Can Mike come?”

“Uh…”

She nodded. “Mike’s going to come. Goodnight.” And with that, she headed upstairs.

 

When Mike woke up the next morning, he was surprised that he had a bunch of missed texts and calls from both his girlfriend and his friend Will.

Jane: _Missed Call_ _(3)_

Will: _have u talked to Jane?_

Jane: _Mike_?

Jane: _Mike? Call me pls_

Will: _yes/no/maybe?_

Jane: _Missed Call_

 

He frowned, wondering what was going on. Did something bad happen? After he’d come home last night he’d fallen asleep, leaving his phone on silent as he dozed. He’d been exhausted. Quickly, he dialed Jane’s number, hoping everything was okay.

She picked up on the third ring. “Where were you last night?”

“Sleeping. What happened?”

She sighed, and answered with “I’ll tell you when you get here.”

“Okay. I’m on my way.”

It was a school day, and Mike hurried more than usual to grab his backpack, gobble down two waffles, and be out the door. When he arrived at Hopper’s home, Jane was coming out the door before he’d put his car into park.

“Is everything alright?” Mike asked as Jane climbed in.

She nodded. “You haven’t talked to Will?”

He had gotten a text from Will as he’d left the house, but hadn’t responded yet. He told Jane as much.

“Remember how I said my dad’s been acting weird?”

“Yeah…”

“It’s because he’s dating Will’s mom.”

Mike’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Jane nodded, smiling. “Will found out yesterday, and my dad told me last night.”

“Wow,” Mike said. “Is it...are you... _wow_.”

“I thought so, too,” she said.

“Are you okay? How’s Will?”

“We’re both fine,” she answered. “It’s... _strange_ , but there’s really nothing we can do.”

Mike began to pull out of the driveway, shaking his head as he did so.

“And to make it even stranger,” Jane continued, “My dad wants both families to kind of, like...hang out or something this weekend.”

“Wow,” Mike repeated.

“Can you come?”

“Yeah,” he said, nodding. “You need me, I’m there.”

“Thank you,” she said, smiling and taking his free hand into her own. As they made the drive to school, she thought about how awkward it was going to be, at least at first, with their friends. But knowing she had Mike to lean on, the boy she knew she loved, it’d be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. There'll be Mileven fluff & uncoordinated/clueless Mike in the next chapter.  
> Also, thank you to those who answered my question about Mileven's first time together. That'll be coming in probably 2 chapters. Be on the lookout...  
> And btw, if you have any requests for this, feel free to let me know. I have a rough map for how this story's going to go/end, but I'm always willing to add something.  
> Until next time.


	6. Jealous Jane

“What’re you thinking, Hopper?”

Jane let out a sigh. “How much I love Mike.”

“Ew, gross.”

“Shut up,” Jane said with a smile.

Jane and Max were in the latter’s room; Max currently going through her closet as she searched for a shirt that was clean. Her friend Jane lay on her back on Max’s bed as she watched, upside down, as her friend tossed shirts aside.

“Why do you two have to be so obvious,” Max said, pushing aside an aqua graphic tee.

“What, and you’re not in love with Lucas?”

“Hey, we’re not talking about me,” Max replied. “We’re talking about you and your nerd.”

“Lucas is a nerd.”

“Yeah, but that’s different.”

“How?”

Max paused, as she racked her brain. “I don’t know, it just is.” She pulled a red tee and glanced at it. Satisfied, she nodded her head.

“How long did you and Lucas date before he said it to you?”

“I don’t know,” Max said, changing shirts. “A year, maybe? How long have you and Mike…”

“Six months.” Jane sat up. “Do you think it’s too soon?”

“The heart wants what the heart wants,” Max answered. “Where’s my phone?”

As she searched for it, Jane fidgeted with her fingers. “I don’t want to scare him.”

Max chuckled. “Believe me, you won’t. Wheeler’s in love, Jane.”

“You really think so?”

“Yeah. He gets little hearts in his eyes everytime he looks at you. Besides, one of you needs to step up. So why not you?”

While Jane agreed with her friend, another part of her still worried she’d scare Mike, or that he didn’t feel the same. With the few boyfriends she’d had, never had she considered telling them she was in love with them. And besides, they  _ were _ only sixteen.

“Got it,” Max said, finding her phone under her pillow. She took a seat on the bed next to her friend. “Ready to go? Or are you still freaking about this thing?”

“I’m not ‘freaking out’,” Jane responded. “But maybe I should wait and let him say it.”

Max rolled her eyes. “You’d be waiting forever, Jane.”

“Would you have said it to Lucas if he hadn’t said it to you, first?”

Max shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know.”

“Maybe I just shouldn’t say anything.”

Max rolled her eyes once more. “And we’ll be having this  _ same _ conversation in a week.” Standing, she said “Come on. Let’s go to the movies, you can think about it while we sit through some bad acting, sleep on it, and make a decision in the morning.”

Jane reluctantly agreed, figuring a good night’s sleep and a movie were good enough to distract her from worrying. She told Max more or less the same thing, and the two girls were off.

*

*

A ways across town, Mike was just getting home after his shift at Callahan’s Coffee. His friends-Lucas, Dustin, and Will-were scheduled to come over in an hour for the boy’s guilty pleasure-a campaign of Dungeons & Dragons. Mike wanted to shower first in order to get the smell of coffee beans off of him. As he walked into the house, however, his mom and little sister appeared to be on their way out.

“Oh, good, you’re home,” his mom said, cradling a dish.

“Um...what’s going on?”

“Some people moved in next door,” Holly told him.

“And we’re going to go say hi,” his mother said. “Come on.”

“Mom, I was just about to…”

“It’ll only take a second, Michael, come on,” she answered, ushering him out the door.

The trio made their way to the previously abandoned house, which appeared to be occupied; a moving truck sat in the driveway, and the garage door was up as a man and a woman moved boxes in the garage.

“Hello,” Karen called as the Wheelers made their way up the driveway.

The man, a black man with balding hair, looked up. “Hey.”

“Hi, we’re your neighbors,” Karen said as she and her kids reached the garage. “I’m Karen Wheeler, and these are my children, Michael and Holly.”

“Nice to meet you,” the man said, nodding. “I’m Cal Powell. This is my wife,” he said, looking over his shoulder as a woman with short blonde hair made her way over.”

“Hi, Samantha,” the woman said, shaking Karen’s hand. Samantha looked at Mike and smiled. “We have a daughter about your age.” Then, turning, she called out, “Zoe! Come here for a minute.”

Mike waited awkwardly as he heard steps, and a moment later, a girl came out of the house. As stated, she was around Mike’s age, with dark curly hair and green eyes. She glanced at Mike, then his family, then at her mom. “Yeah?”

“Come meet the neighbors,” her dad said. “This is Mrs. Wheeler…”

“Miss…”

“Miss Wheeler, Holly, and Michael. What grade are you, Michael?”

“It’s Mike,” he said. “I’m a junior.”

“Cool, me too,” Zoe said, smiling.

“Oh, Mike, maybe you could drive Zoe to school tomorrow,” his mom volunteered.

Mrs. Powell shook her head. “No, that’s okay; I want to drop her off myself. But Michael, maybe you could bring her home, if that’s okay?”

He didn’t really  _ want _ to, but everyone was looking at him expectantly. “Uh, okay. Sure.”

“Great. Thank you so much,” Mrs. Powell said.

“Anytime. What’re neighbors for?” Karen asked.

The two families said their goodbyes, then the Wheelers made their way back to their house.

“They seem nice,” Karen said on the walk back.

“The daughter is pretty,” Holly pointed out.

“Why’d you say I’d give her a ride?” Mike asked.

His mother looked confused. “They’re new to town, Mike. I thought it’d be nice.”

“Yeah, but...I don’t even  _ know _ her.”

“You’re going to be neighbors; one day won’t kill you.”

Mike fought the urge to roll his eyes as they went inside their house, and instead headed upstairs to shower before his friends came over.

*

*

At school the next day, Jane waited by Mike’s locker before classes began. Max had given her a ride to school, then went off in search of her own boyfriend.

Jane perked up as she saw Mike coming down the hallway. He was in his own world, as he most often was, and didn’t see her yet. She started to call out to him, when he suddenly looked up at hearing a voice.

A girl Jane didn’t recognize came up to him, smiling and saying something to Mike.  _ Probably some girl from one of his classes _ , Jane thought. Mike said something back, and the girl took out a piece of paper. She showed it to Mike and pointed something out, her eyes looking to him. He hesitated, looked down the hall, then nodded his head. The two walked off in the other direction.

_ Um…. _ Jane thought.  _ What was that? _

 

She didn’t see him again until it was almost lunchtime. She’d had French class right before lunch, and needed to stop by her locker before going to the lunchroom. She’d just got what she needed for the afternoon when she looked up to see Mike approaching her.

“Hey, I didn’t see you this morning,” he said.

“I waited by your locker before school,” she answered, closing her own locker. “Who was that girl you were talking to?”

“What girl?”

Jane shrugged. “I don’t know. It was when you were on your way in, I guess.”

He thought for a second. “ _ Oh _ . Her. This new family moved in, in the McCallister’s house. They have a daughter who’s a junior. I was showing her where her locker is.”

Jane frowned, as the two made their way to the lunchroom. “Isn’t it a little late to be starting school? The year’s almost over.”

“It’s March, it’s not  _ too _ late.”

“Mm.” They continued to walk, with Mike gently taking Jane’s hand into his. “Is she nice?”

“Huh?”

“The girl you were talking to, your neighbor. Is she nice?”

He shrugged. “I guess.”

“What’s her name?”

“Zoe.”

Jane nodded as the pair entered the lunchroom. Their friends Dustin and Lucas were already there, talking animatedly to each other.

“Mike, will you settle something?” Dustin asked as Mike and Jane took a seat at the table.

“What?”

“Isn’t one of the seven dwarves named Bashful?”

“Are you guys serious?” Mike asked, taking out his lunch.

“How did you even get on this conversation?” Jane asked.

Lucas shrugged. “We were talking about who would win, the dwarves in  _ The Hobbit _ or the dwarves in  _ Snow White _ .” Max arrived, and Lucas scooted over for her to sit.

“There aren’t dwarves in  _ The Hobbit _ ,” Mike said. “They’re elves.”

Dustin shook his head. “That’s a  _ whole _ different topic.”

“Oh my gosh, this is officially the nerd table,” Max said under her breath.

“...but Lucas,” Dustin continued, “was naming all the seven dwarves in Snow White, and he said there was one named ‘Snappy’.  _ Snappy _ , for Pete’s sake!”

“It’s better than Bashful,” Lucas argued.

Will arrived and sat down next to Mike, shaking his head. “I sit down and we’re arguing about the seven dwarves?” he asked.

“It’s Bashful,” Max said, shoving her phone into the middle of the table. The group stretched their necks to see the results of her search, and sure enough, Dustin was right.

“Boom!” Dustin said, pounding the table.

“So what, it’s stupid anyway,” Lucas said.

“Seriously?” Mike asked. “Snappy?”

Lucas shrugged.

“Holy crap, who’s that?” Dustin asked, looking over Mike’s shoulder. Mike turned, and saw his new neighbor, Zoe, talking to someone a few feet away. Her eye caught Mike’s, and she smiled and waved at him.

“You know her?” Lucas asked.

“She moved in next door,” Mike responded. “She’s…” She was making her way over.

“She’s hot, is what she is,” Dustin muttered.

“Hey,” Zoe said when she got to the table. Mike had turned around to greet her.

“Hey.”

“I’m sorry to bother you,” she said, “But where are the portables? My next class is in portable 4C and I have no idea where it is.”

“It’s right out that way,” Mike said, pointing.

She nodded. “Thanks.”

“How’s your first day?”

She shrugged. “Not bad, I guess.”

“Did you want to eat with us?”

“Sure, thanks,” she responded. The group made room, and soon Zoe was sitting on Mike’s left side, with Jane on his right.

“These are my friends,” Mike said, making introductions. “This is Dustin, Lucas, Max, Will, and Jane. Guys, this is Zoe.”

The group said hello, and pretty soon Zoe was being peppered with questions from Dustin and Max, mostly, while Mike ate his lunch and talked softly to Jane.

When the bell rang, Mike rerouted Zoe one more time, before walking Jane to her next class.

“Meet you after sixth period?” he asked when they’d arrived at her door.

“Yeah.”

He nodded and they kissed briefly before he went off to his own class.

Jane watched him go, with a little thought nagging at the back of her brain:  _ Why didn’t he introduce me as his girlfriend? _

*

*

When sixth period ended, Jane and Max made their way out of class towards the parking lot. During their shared class, Jane had told her friend what was bothering her.

“It’s not that big a deal,” Max said, shrugging her shoulders as the two stepped outside.

Jane looked at her skeptically. “You mean if Lucas didn’t introduce some pretty new girl to you, you wouldn’t be mad if he didn’t say you were his girlfriend?”

“So you think she’s pretty?”

Jane rolled her eyes. “ _ Yes _ , but that’s not the point.”

Max grinned. “Look at you; I never thought you’d be the jealous type. Especially after Mike went all overboard with that other Mike.”

Jane furrowed her brow, remembering Mike’s jealousy when she had tutored another boy named Mike. “I’m not jealous.”

“Then what’re you worried about?”

“I’m not worried, I just…” she didn’t finish the sentence because of two reasons: the first being that she was starting to think Max was right, that she  _ was _ jealous of this new girl that happened to live in close proximity to her boyfriend.

The second was because she was currently looking at said girl standing with Mike as the two stood next to his car.

“Uh...hey,” Jane said meekly as she got closer. She missed Max’s smirk.

“Hey, I forgot I was giving Zoe a ride home today,” Mike said.

“Oh. Okay,” Jane said. She turned to Max, and raised her eyebrows. “I’ll call you later,” she told her friend.

Max nodded. Then, to Mike, said “Drive your girlfriend home safely, Wheeler!” Mike looked confused, Jane’s cheeks turned pink, and Max grinned as she made her way to her own car.

“You guys are dating?” Zoe asked Jane.

“Yeah,” Jane responded, tucking a strand of hair behind an ear.

The three loaded into Mike’s car and made their way to Jane’s house. Jane made polite conversation with Zoe, asking her how her day went and if she’d made any friends.

“A few people seemed nice,” she answered.

“Where did you guys move from?”

“Dayton, it’s a city in Ohio.”

Jane nodded.

They arrived at the Hopper home, and Mike walked Jane to her door.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” she responded.

“Why did Max say to drive you safely?”

Jane felt her cheeks get hot, but she shook her head. “I don’t know. Just teasing me, I guess.” She glanced towards his car. “So are you going to be riding her….I mean,  _ driv _ ing her, all the time now?”

“No, just today, probably.”

“Oh,” she said, nodding.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m just tired, I guess.”

He nodded. “Okay. I’ll call you later?”

She smiled. He leaned in to kiss her, but she instead kissed his cheek. “Bye,” she said before disappearing into the house.

*

*

“I think Jane’s mad at me,” Mike told Will a few hours later. The two were, of course, in Mike’s basement as they worked on a science project.

“Why would she be mad at you?” Will asked as he tinkered with something.

“I don’t know. But she’s kind of...quieter, I guess.”

“Do you think it has to do with Zoe?”

Mike looked confused. “What does she have to do with it?”

“I don’t know. Maybe Jane is jealous.”

“What does she have to be jealous of?”

“Well, I mean, Zoe’s cute. Maybe she thinks she likes you or something.”

Mike chuckled. “Why would she like me? I’m a nerd.”

“Jane likes you, and you’re a nerd.”

“Yeah, but that’s different.”

Will finally looked up. “Why?”

“Just...I don’t know, it is.”

“Are you saying Jane’s a nerd?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying.”

“Then what  _ are _ you saying?”

“I don’t know, I...Jane got to know me and stuff. And she still liked me.”

“Zoe doesn’t know you’re a nerd?”

Mike made a face. “We were arguing about Snow White and The Hobbit when she came to our table; I’m pretty sure she knows how nerdy we are.”

Will laughed at that. “You don’t like her, do you?”

Mike shook his head. “I mean she’s nice, I guess. But I love Ja…” he stopped, realizing what he was about to say out loud.

Will, however, sat up with an amused smile on his face. “I’m sorry, you love  _ who _ ?”

Mike let out a sigh. To be honest, he’d been thinking about this,  _ love _ , for probably a month now. Since he’d began dating Jane, he knew she was different from other girls. Of course there was the fact that he could count the number of girls he had ever dated on one hand (okay, one  _ finger _ )-but with Jane, after the awkwardness that came with just being Mike Wheeler had passed, things had just  _ clicked _ between the two of them. It had made him think about how Lucas and Max seemed like they were almost  _ meant _ to be together; that’s how he felt about himself and Jane.

When, a month ago, Valentine’s Day had arrived, he had found himself starting to write “Love, Mike” on a card, but had stopped himself.  _ Love _ , he’d thought to himself.  _ Love?! _

He knew he was overthinking it, but it seemed like writing “love” in a Valentine’s card was too much (this changed when she’d given him his card and signed it with “love”).  After that whole deal, he had began asking himself;  _ did he love Jane _ ?

It had taken some time, but he knew that yes, he did love her.

He loved the way she smiled at him. He loved her quiet voice. He loved that despite knowing how nerdy he was she still wanted to date him. He loved how effortlessly she’d blended into the group. He loved the way she laughed, and how she actually thought  _ his _ jokes were funny. He loved how when she looked at him she didn’t just see a tall and lanky geek, but an actual person. He loved how she believed in him, and he in her. He loved the way her hand fit into his. He loved that despite how smart she was, she still doubted herself at times. He loved her curly hair, and how it looked when she tied it into a ponytail. He loved how cute she looked in her Benny’s Burgers shirt when he visited her at work. He loved her lips. He loved the way she kissed him. He loved pretty much  _ everything _ , really, about Jane Eleanor Hopper.

And not really having anyone to talk to about it, he’d kept it to himself. His friends, he knew, would never let it go. He had considered calling his sister Nancy at college, but knew she’d make fun of him too. Will, despite the mischievous smile he currently wore, was more apt to listen and not make too much fun of him.

“I love her, okay?” Mike finally admitted.

“Aww,” Will said.

“Shut up.”

Will chuckled. “No, but for real, that’s cool. Congrats, I guess.”

Mike felt some of his blush fade away. “I haven’t told her yet.”

“Why not?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Nerves?”

“She probably feels the same way.”

“Maybe. But I don’t want to...you know, scare her or something.”

Will shrugged, and went back to the work before him.

“Don’t tell Lucas and Dustin, alright?”

Will nodded. “Alright.” With a smirk, he asked “What about Jane, can I tell her?”

Mike threw a pillow at him.

*

*

Jane spent the evening alternating between being mad at herself for being jealous and whether or not she should call Mike. She knew there was no reason to be jealous, that Mike wasn’t going to cheat on her or or dump her for Zoe. But the whole situation made her uncomfortable. She remembered how upset she’d been when Mike had been jealous of the other Mike. And now she was acting just like he had.

Well, not quite. Mike had had an outburst, questioning Mike P’s intentions. She hadn’t gone that far.

Then again, the week had just started.

Max stopped by after dinner, and the two girls settled in Jane’s bedroom.

“I feel like a jerk,” Jane whined to her friend.

“Why?”

“I never thought I’d be the...insecure girlfriend, but I am, aren’t I?”

“Well, he didn’t tell her you guys were dating; you’re right, he  _ could’ve _ done that.” Max looked at her friend. “Do you think that would’ve made a difference?”

“I don’t know…”

“Just talk to him about it. You know how clueless Mike is. If you’re expecting him to read your mind, you’re going to be waiting forever.”

Jane sighed, and lay on her bed. “I haven’t called him yet.”

“Aren’t you guys, like, always talking?”

“He’s working with Will, they have some kind of project to do for science. I’ll talk to him in the morning.”

The next morning she was indeed ready to talk to Mike about how she felt. She even got up early, put on a shirt she knew Mike liked, and waited by the door for his arrival.

“What’s going on with you?” her dad, police chief Hopper, asked.

“Nothing.”

“Uh-huh. Well, you look nice.” He glanced out the window. “Your ride’s here.”

She got up, told her dad goodbye, and went out the door. 

And was slightly taken aback when she saw that Mike wasn’t alone in his car; Zoe was with him.

She was opening the door, getting out of the passenger seat with a shy smile on her face. “Here, you can sit up here.”

“Thanks,” Jane said. Zoe got into the back seat, and Jane climbed in up front.

“Hey,” Mike said when she got in.

“Hey,” Jane responded, closing the door.

“You look nice,” he told her.

“Thanks.” She put her bag in her lap and looked out the window, frustrated. The whole scenario she’d imagined, talking and making up with Mike, was now thrown out the window.

“Everything okay?” Mike asked.

She nodded. “Everything’s fine.”

On the ride to school he told her about his project with Will, and she nodded and commented every so often. Zoe played with her phone in the backseat.

When they got to school, Zoe said goodbye and climbed out of the car. Jane began to follow suit, but Mike stopped her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked her.

“Nothing.”

“Jane, something’s wrong. What is it?”

She huffed. “Why didn’t you tell Zoe I was your girlfriend?”

“What?” he asked, blinking in confusion.

“When you introduced her to us yesterday, you made it seem like I was just your friend.”

“I did?” He seemed to think about it, trying to recall. He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, I guess it just slipped my mind.”

“Do you like her?”

“What? No!”

“Then why are you two together all the time?”

He looked confused. “All the time? She’s only been here a  _ day _ , Jane.”

“You know what I mean.”

“No, actually, I don’t.”

“Everytime I want to talk to you, there she is.”

“She’s not here right now, what do you want to talk about?”

Jane sighed, not wanting to continue this conversation for fear of a fight. “I’m gonna be late to class.” Opening the door, she got out of the car and slammed it shut behind her.

Mike scrambled out of the car as well, grabbing his backpack on the way as he tried to catch up to her. Before he could, though, he ran right into another girl, making her drop her books. By the time he looked up, Jane was gone.

*

*

Mike didn’t see her at lunch, either; it was just he and the boys.

“Where’s Zoe?” Dustin asked as the boys dug into their lunch.

Mike gave him a look. “I don’t know. Maybe she made friends or something.”

“Well where’s Jane? And Max?” Will asked.

“Max said they were eating in the French room.”

“Why?”

“Jane’s mad at me,” Mike answered.

Will put his fork down. “What’d you do now?”

“Nothing! She’s just jealous.”

“Of what?”

“Zoe,” Mike mumbled.

Dustin barked a laugh. “Like you have a chance with her.”

“I don’t  _ want _ a chance with her; I want Jane.”

“Have you told her that?”

“I tried; she won’t talk to me.”

 

Jane, meanwhile, sat in the French room with Max as they both ate their lunch. Jane had been wanting to vent for the past few hours but hadn’t had anyone to vent  _ to _ until now.

“You realize you’re blowing this thing out of proportion,” Max said.

“I know,” she said. 

“I mean yeah, I get it that you wanted Zoe to know Mike’s your boyfriend, but…”

“And you know he’s not going to cheat on you. He worships the ground your sneakers walk on.”

“I know, I know, it’s just….I love him, and I guess I freaked out when this beautiful girl moved in next door to him.”

Max shook her head. “He only has eyes for you, Jane.”

When lunch ended, the two cleaned up their food and made their way into the hallway. They said goodbye and went their separate ways. Jane made a pit stop at her locker, and was just getting her books out for the afternoon and saw Zoe approaching her.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Zoe asked.

“Sure.”

“Do you...not like me?”

“Why would you say that?”

“I don’t know, you just seem angry whenever I’m around. Is it about Mike?”

Jane bit her lip.

“Because I’m not, you know...interested in him or anything.”

Jane frowned. “You’re not?”

“No,” Zoe said, chuckling. “I mean, he’s nice and all, but it’s obvious how he, you know...feels about you.”

Jane blushed. “Thanks.”

“All he talked about on the drive home yesterday was you. How you just moved here, too, how smart you are, how great you are. So I’m hope I’m not, you know, making you think I’m up to something because I’m not.”

Jane nodded. “Okay. And, uh...thank you.”

Zoe smiled. “No problem.” She glanced at the clock in the hallway. “I’ve gotta get to my class. If you talk to Mike, can you tell him I already have a ride home? Thanks.”

Jane smiled and headed to class.

*

*

Both Jane and Mike had to work after school. Mike had ran into Zoe in the hallway and she’d told him about having a ride already.

When his shift ended, Mike made the drive over to Benny’s Burgers to try and talk to Jane.

He parked, then sent a text to her, asking  _ Can you come outside? _

She responded a few minutes later, texting back  _ be out soon _ .

He got out of the car, and a minute later saw her come outside, hair in her cute ponytail as she wiped her hands on her yellow Benny’s Burgers shirt. Her eyes found his, and they closed the distance, gripping each other in an embrace.

“I’m sorry,” he said into her hair.

“No,  _ I’m _ sorry,” she said back as they continued to hug one another. “I was...overreacting and being stupid.” She sniffled. “I don’t like fighting with you.”

“Me either.”

They pulled away, though she kept her arms clasped behind his head, staying close.

“Zoe...Zoe’s nice,” she said. “And you’re...this amazing friendly and good guy, I just thought…”

“Why would I like her more? You’re the one for me.”

She smiled. “You’re the one for me, too.”

They came together for a kiss, Mike pulling her closer while Jane’s hands found their way to his hair. When they pulled apart, their foreheads touching, Mike whispered “I love you.”

Jane pulled away slightly, surprised. “You...you do?”

He nodded. “I know it’s, you know, probably too soon or whatever, but...I don’t know, I just...you’re special, Jane. And I’ve been thinking about it a lot and…”

He didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence as she threw herself at him, her lips meeting his as she pulled him down towards her to deepen the kiss.

Mike reciprocated, pulling her closer as they continued to kiss.

When they finally pulled away, both red and smiling, she whispered “I love you, too, Mike.”

He smiled. “Yeah?”

“Yes, goofball. I’ve been trying to say it to you for months.”

“Well, I beat you to it.”

She smiled at him mischievously before leaning in and kissing him again; a deep kiss that left them both wanting more. When they pulled apart once more, Jane looked down in disappointment.

“What?” he asked.

“I have to go back to work,” she said.

“I know.”

Looking up, she kissed him once more. “Come pick me up?” she asked.

“Sure. When?”

“Nine?”

He nodded. “Nine.”

He pulled her back, placing one more kiss on her lips as she giggled and kissed him back. Finally letting go of one another, she headed back towards Benny’s as he watched her go.

“Hey, Mike?” she called once she got to the door.

“Yeah?”

She smiled. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Mike couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he watched her go.  _ I love you _ . He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of saying that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that I have some time off work hopefully I can write some more.
> 
> Chapter 7 will be PG-13-ish due to somewhat steamy material.  
> Chapter 8 will be their first time, and I'm still not sure how steamy I want to make it. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
> 
> Next chapter should be up in a few weeks.


	7. More

“And right there,” Mike said, pointing into the night sky, “Is  _ Ursa Minor _ .”

“Ursa Minor?” Jane asked, squinting into the dark.

“The Little Dipper. Do you see it?”

Jane nodded, though she wasn’t sure if she was seeing it or not. Cuddling against Mike, she said “You know, when you asked me if I wanted to go to Lover’s Lake, this isn’t what I imagined.”

The two of them lay on the hood of Mike’s car. It was a Sunday night in early April, a full moon up in the sky.

Mike blushed. “Yeah, sorry about that. My head was somewhere else, I guess.”

She sighed, and wrapped her arm around his as she lay on his shoulder. “It’s pretty.”

Mike nodded in agreement, eyes still looking at the skies above them.

“Since we’re here, are there any...I don’t know...ro _ man _ tic constellations?”

“Um….yeah, kind of. There’s Perseus and Andromeda. Perseus was a Greek hero, I think. And his wife..”

“Andromeda?”

“Yeah, her. They’re supposed to be together in the sky, or something like that. My cousin told me this story about them a long time ago, I forgot it all. But it’s something like they’re up there so they can always be together.”

Jane smiled, and turned so she was looking at her boyfriend, in hopes of getting his attention. “Mike?”

“Yeah?” he asked, turning his head slightly.

“Kiss me.”

He leaned closer, cupping her chin as their lips met for a kiss. However, what started out as a simple kiss slowly began to develop into something more, as Jane’s hands made their way into Mike’s hair, pulling him closer as his body turned. She felt his arms wrap around her waist as he, too, pulled her closer to him.

They parted for a moment, breath heavy and lips swollen as they looked at each other. Then, with a smile, they both leaned in once more.

This second kiss set Jane on fire, as Mike pulled her so close she was nearly on top of him, her body screaming  _ more! more! _ One of his hands moved up and down her back, as she gripped his collared shirt, leaving barely any space between them.

The mixture of the passionate moment mixed with the hood of Mike’s car digging into her side, as well as with other things she’d been considering lately caused Jane to stop and pull away, a decision on her mind and fire in her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Mike asked. Instead Jane smirked and slowly got off the hood, pulling Mike with her. “Where...where are we going?”

“I want more,” she answered.

 

Mike allowed himself to be led, his head buzzing. For the past two weeks, since he and Jane had said they loved each other, things had began getting more heated between them. It’d started that day, when Mike had told her he loved her. He had picked Jane up from work; when she got in the car, he’d gone in for their usual “happy to see you” kiss, when she’d all but lunged at him, kissing him so hard he thought his teeth were going to crack.

“What...what was that for?” he’d asked when they had both settled down.

“Just because,” she’d answered.

Since then their kissing seemed to go up a level; primarily led by Jane. It was if saying “I love you” had turned on a switch in her.

Not that Mike was complaining.

He’d long been wondering if he and Jane would ever get physical. And with the way things had heated up recently, it seemed like only a matter of time.

Both he and Jane had never been intimate with another person; or each other, for that matter. But as well as wanting to say  _ I love you _ to Jane, he’d also been wanting to say  _ I want to sleep with you _ .

However, he didn’t want to rush things, and he definitely didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable. So he’d decided that if it happened, it happened.

Which brings us to today.

Jane led Mike to the backseat of his car, climbing in before Mike followed her.

“Are we…?” he began, not sure how to finish it, when Jane climbed into his lap, straddling him as she cupped his face. He held her close as their lips came together, her arms snaking behind his neck as he returned the kiss.

They pulled away for a moment, faces less than an inch apart as they tried to catch their breaths. “This is more?” he asked, smiling.

She nodded, eyes on his lips before they leaned in again.

Mike’s hand rubbed the back of Jane’s shirt, and it’s only a matter of time before his hand drifts under her shirt, touching a sliver of bare skin on her back. He feels her jump, surprised by his hand.

“Sorry,” he says, pulling away. “I was just…”

But she ignores him and, in the limited space of the car, pulls her shirt over her head, tossing it onto the seat next to him.

Mike shrugs. “Okay, then.” Jane returns the favor, pulling his shirt off, before they’re back kissing again. Mike’s palm glides over her back, rubbing over her soft and warm skin as she moans into his mouth, sending shivers down his spine.

He’s so caught up in what they’re doing, of her soft lips on his, of their tongues meeting in the middle, of the way her hands rake fervently through his hair, of how good it feels to have her warm skin pressed against his chest, that he almost doesn’t realize that this is the farthest they’ve ever gone. Yes, they’ve had makeout sessions, but nothing this...intense. He almost doesn’t notice her hands leave his hair and drift down to his belt. But when he does, he begins to wonder  _ Is this it?  Is it about to happen? Are we about to... _

And, just as soon as it began, Jane ends it, pulling her lips off his and placing her forehead on his.

“Jane?” he asks, panting. “Wh...what’s wrong?”

She lets out a sigh. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” In the cramped space he pulls back, trying to catch her eye; she won’t look at him. “What’re you sorry for?”

She sighs again, and finally looks up. “I...I wanted to...do this, Mike.”

“Do what?” She raises an eyebrow, looking down at her hands, currently in his lap. “Oh.”

“But I...I don’t want my... _ our _ ... first time to…” She looks away, embarrassed, “be in the back of a car.”

“Oh,” he repeats, finally feeling like he’s got air back in his lungs. “It’s okay. We...I wasn’t...I mean...,” he shakes his head, mad that he can’t get words out, “We don’t have to.”

She nods, and her eyes drift away again. Sensing her embarrassment he takes one of her hands into his. “Hey.” When she still won’t look, his other hand turns her head gently towards him. “ _ Hey _ .” Their eyes finally meeting, he says “You don’t have anything to be sorry for, Jane. Seriously. Now that you mention it, I don’t really want our first time to be here, either. You don’t...don’t be embarrassed. Really.”

She nods once more, a tear running down her cheek. He wipes it away. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” he says, shaking his head. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

She sighs, but it looks to Mike like she’s beginning to feel better. “I love you,” she says.

“I love you too.”

They kiss once more before she climbs off his lap, and next to him on the backseat. They sit there a moment, catching their breaths, Mike thinking about how close they’d been to “it” happening, when Jane says “Your shirt?”

“Huh?” he asks. He turns, and sees she’s offering his shirt back. “Oh. Yeah.” He pulls it over his head, and after she’s gotten hers back on, they both get out of the car and back to the driver’s and passenger seat. They sit again for a moment before Mike asks “So, uh...you ready to go home?”

She nods, not looking at him again, and he wonders if she’s embarrassed again. He starts the ignition, then asks “Are you alright?”

She finally looks at him and smiles. “Yeah. Just...thinking.”

He backs the car up, and once he’s got the front end pointing towards the road, asks “About what?”

“Just...do you think we’re going too fast?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know; I guess we’re going at the right pace. I don’t really have anything to compare it to, though.”

“Neither do I,” she answers, watching trees pass as they head back towards town. “And I  _ want _ to do it, but I….don’t want to rush things.”

He smirked. “I want to, to.”

“Yeah, I got that,” she smiles.

“” _ But _ …” he says, grinning, “I don’t want to rush things, either. If it happens, it happens.”

She placed her hand on his free hand, and he squeezed it back.

 

Over the next few days, Jane alternated between mentally berating herself and being in awe at how brazen she’d been in Mike’s backseat. That type of thing was something she’d never envisioned herself doing; taking control of Mike like that, and being  _ this close _ to sealing the deal with him.

A few months into their dating, the thought of sleeping with him  _ had _ creeped into the back of her mind, but she’d tucked the thought away. She’d never slept with any boy before, and why should he be any different? But then she got to know Mike, and grew to love him (and he her). And now, since the two had vocally declared their love for one another, that somehow made her want him more.

In the same vain, however, she was mad at herself for taking things that far. The few times she’d pictured she and Mike sleeping together for the first time, none of the scenarios included getting busy in his backseat. She knew that when they finally did have sex, it had to be  _ perfect _ . And bumping her head on the top of the car while they did it didn’t appeal to her in the slightest. A year ago she would’ve never been the kind of girl that would hop onto a guy’s lap like that, stripping down to her bra and debating whether to take it off or not as she made out. Back in Chicago, she and her friends would look down on girls like that. But then again, she’d never been in love before; never met or dated a guy like Mike before. 

This was different, she told herself.

Jane loved that he was patient, that he wasn’t rushing her like most boys their age would be. And she  _ did _ want it to happen. But the when and the where of it was still a conundrum. 

Still, over the next few days she slowed things down with Mike; they had all the time in the world.

 

On Friday the girls had to work after school, while the boys miraculously all had the evening off, an extremely rare occurrence. So they all decided to meet up at Mike’s, where they ended up in the basement for a night of video games, pizza, and scary movies.

A few hours in, Dustin, who’d just lost his turn in  _ God of War _ , handed the controller to Will. “It’s not fair,” Dustin whined, running a hand through his short curly hair. “The Bridge Keeper is too hard.”

“You just don’t have the skill,” Will teased, tapping away at the controls.

Dustin sighed and turned to look at Mike, who sat on the couch with Lucas while Will and Dustin sat on the floor. “Hey, when’s your sister coming back?”

Mike, who’d been engrossed with his phone, looked up. “Holly?”

“No, Nancy. When’s she coming back from college?”

Mike shrugged. “I don’t know. I think she gets out in April or May. Why?”

“Nothing. Just...she’s hot, man.”

“Shut up.”

“No, I’m serious. Besides, I think I really have a chance with her now.”

Mike shook his head. He’d always known that Dustin had a crush on his sister, but he didn’t like  _ hearing _ about it. “Just drop it, Dustin.”

“Dude, you have  _ no _ shot,” Lucas said.

Dustin shrugged. “She hasn’t seen me in a while. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, boys.”

“Drop it,” Mike repeated.

Dustin shook his head. “You and Lucas are lucky, you’ve got girlfriends. Will and I are left out here to fend for ourselves.”

“I’m doing just fine, thank you,” Will said.

“Will, are you dating someone?” Lucas asked.

Will smiled knowingly. “Don’t worry about me.”

“Okay, see? Now it’s just me!” Dustin exclaimed. “You guys are all out with your girlfriends, dating and probably getting laid, while I’m stuck at home listening to my mom talk about her cat.”

“Aw, poor baby,” Lucas teased. “You want some cheese with that wine?”

Dustin looked over. “Do you seriously have some cheese?”

Lucas rolled his eyes.

“Why do you just assume we’re... _ dammit _ ,” Will said, angry about dying in the game, “That we’re all sleeping with someone?”

Dustin shrugged. “Because  _ I _ would, if I had a girlfriend. And besides, everybody knows Lucas and Max are…”

“Don’t talk about me and my girlfriend,” Lucas warned.

“Fine. And Mike’s been dating Jane for, like, a year now. So they’ve  _ gotta _ be doing the nasty.”

“Doing the nasty?” Mike repeated. “What are you, six?”

“And you, Byers,” Dustin said, sitting up and pinching one of Will’s cheeks, “Are just too cute to not be getting some.”

Will brushed his hand away. “God, you’re an idiot.”

 

Eventually the boy’s night ended, and everyone packed up their things to head home. After Will and Dustin left, Mike stopped Lucas just before he was about to step out the basement door.

“Can I, uh…talk to you for a minute?”

Lucas paused, seeing something was on his friend’s mind. He turned, saying “Yeah. What’s up?”

Mike sighed. He hadn’t really wanted to talk to anyone about this, but he needed  _ some _ one’s advice, and Lucas was his best friend. “It’s nothing. Just...I was curious about something.”

“Okay, what?”

“Uh...you and Max...when you...I mean...when you guys first...did it…”

Lucas raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Mike sighed, and decided to try again. “Me and Jane...we haven’t...I mean, we  _ want  _ to, at least I want to, but...I don’t know if…”

Lucas chuckled. “Mike, I seriously have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Mike decided to just say it. So in one breath he blurted out “Me and Jane haven’t had sex yet but I really want to and I think she wants to, too, and I’m excited and scared at the same time and I was wondering if you had any advice.”

Lucas looked surprised, and laughed a little to himself before responding. “Wow.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Just...I thought you two had done it a while ago.”

Mike frowned. “We haven’t been dating that long. And not everybody in high school has sex.”

“Well, yeah, duh. I just thought that you guys had. Well..good for you two, I guess. But what’s the problem?”

“The problem is I think maybe it’s about to happen, you know?” Mike then spent a few minutes giving Lucas a brief summary of what had happened last Saturday at Lover’s Lake. When he’d finished, Lucas was grinning.

“You took her out there to look at  _ stars _ ? Oh my gosh, you’re a geek.”

Mike felt himself blush. “Shut up.”

Lucas shook his head. “So what do you want to know?”

“I mean...what should I...expect?”

His friend sighed. “First of all, get yourself some protection. Is she...do you know if she’s on anything?”

Mike made a face. “I don’t know.”

“Okay, well, get something anyway. The first time isn’t going to be like it is in the movies. It’ll be awkward, and weird, and...quick, probably.”

“Quick?”

“Yeah. Just...pace yourself. It’s not a race.”

Mike nodded. “Does it…”

“What?”

“I always hear it hurts for girls. Did it…” Mike paused, not knowing if he wanted to ask the question on his mind.

“Did it what?”

“Did it hurt for Max?” As far as Mike knew, Max was the only person Lucas had been with.

Lucas shrugged. “I guess. But after a while, you know, the pain kind of goes away, and it starts to feel good. Like,  _ really _ good. There was this one time…”

“Okay, okay,” Mike said, waving his arms. “I don’t need to know what you two do.”

Lucas smiled. “Anything else?”

Mike sighed, and took a moment to think. “I don’t think so.”

Lucas nodded. “Seriously, let me know if you have anything else. And good luck. But I’m willing to bet that if you’re talking about it with  _ me _ , Jane’s doing the same with Max.”

Mike grinned and shook his head. “No she’s not.”

 

She was, actually.

It took Jane until the next day, Saturday, to finally talk to her best friend about it. Since they had become friends, the two girls spent one day a week working on homework together and talking about things. They had a report coming up in their lit class and had decided to spend a few hours Saturday afternoon researching it together.

They were at Jane’s home, sitting on the couch with the TV volume on low as they half-heartedly worked on their assignment. Jane’s dad would be home soon, but the girls currently had some privacy.

“I swear,” Max complained as she highlighted something in her book, “Mr. Marshall is wearing a toupee. You know Avery?”

Jane shook her head. “Who’s Avery?”

“She’s the one that sits by the window in class. She’s got glasses?”

“Okay, what about her?”

“She said she saw him walking to class one day when it was windy, and he grabbed his head.”

“So? I grab my hair if it’s windy sometimes, too.”

“But what if he was grabbing his head to stop his rug from flying off?”

“What if he wasn’t?”

Max sighed. “Why won’t you support me in this conspiracy theory of mine?”

“Because I’m almost done with my work.” Jane wrote down a few more things, then closed her notebook. “Done.”

“Show off,” Max grumbled, looking down at her notes. Her phone buzzed, and she picked it up.

“Your mom?” Jane asked.

“No,” Max said with a grin. “Lucas. Being stupid.”

“What’s he doing?”

“Sending me fart jokes.”

“Oh. Ew.”

Max smiled, and texted back. “Idiot.” Putting her phone down, she looked at her friend. “How’re you and Wheeler doing?”

Jane was a private person, and didn’t really like sharing  _ these _ kind of details with people, but she wanted to tell her best friend. “We almost had sex.”

Max looked up, curious. “Wait...you said you  _ almost _ had sex?”

Jane nodded. “We, uh...we went up to Lover’s Lake, and one thing almost led to another, and…”

“And what?”

“And we almost...you know. But I stopped it, because…” She trailed off.

“Because what?” Max put her notebook down, pulling her legs up and facing Jane in the process.

“I didn’t want our first time to be in the backseat of a car. Or maybe I was just looking for an excuse to stop, I don’t know.”

“So you and Mike haven’t…”

“No,” Jane said, shaking her head. “But I want to.”

“So why haven’t you?”

Jane blushed a little. “Because I’m  _ scared _ .”

“Of what?”

“Of...I don’t know. What if I’m bad at it? What if it hurts too much? What if he doesn’t like the way I look, or what if my dad walks in, or his mom or little sister, or…”

“Okay, you’re overthinking this,” Max said. “Have you talked to him about it?”

“Not really…”

“Well, you probably should, Jane. Jeez. I thought you two’d been hooking up for months now.”

Jane blushed as she shook her head. “I want it to be, you know...perfect.”

Max chuckled. “It’s never going to be perfect, Jane. Just take what you can.”

“You mean you and Lucas’s wasn’t…”

“It was  _ nice _ ,” Max said. “It wasn’t the perfect situation, but it was nice. It was special, because, you know...it was with him.”

“Where was it?”

Max’s cheeks turned a little pink. “His room. We were studying, and got…” She shrugged her shoulders. “Distracted. Luckily we were alone, but, I mean...his parents were out watching a movie, they could’ve come back whenever. I’d always thought it would be in, like, a hotel room or something; or at least not something spur of the moment.”

“But you liked it?”

“Yeah. I mean, his sister came home when we were cleaning up, but besides that yeah, I liked it. Why, do you think you won’t?”

Jane shook her head. “It’s not that. I know I will. I guess I’m just nervous.”

“You don’t  _ have _ to sleep with him, Jane. Mike isn’t pressuring you or anything, is he?”

“No! Not at all. I kind of think I want it more than he does.”

Max smirked. “I doubt that. All boys want sex, Jane.”

“I just want it to be perfect, and special.”

Max huffed. “You sound like a Lifetime movie. Look...all I can say is, don’t force it or anything. It’ll happen when it happens. But I’d suggest you talk to Mike about it, see where he stands.”

Jane nodded, as the two girls heard the front door being unlocked, signaling the arrival of Jane’s dad. 

 

Mike came over the next day, and the two took a short drive to get some ice cream, catching up on things as they drove. When they’d arrived at the local ice cream establishment and gotten their cones, they took a seat near a window.

There was a lull in the conversation, and Jane quietly said “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

She sighed, and Mike saw her cheeks redden slightly. “Last week, at Lover’s Lake…”

Now Mike blushed. “Yeah?”

“What did you think about that?”

_ That it was awesome _ , Mike thought. But what he said was “I liked it. Did...did you?”

Her blush got more scarlet. “I  _ loved _ it.”

Mike smiled.

“And since it happened, I’ve been thinking. Wondering if...do you think we’re ready to...you know?”

_ I am _ , he thought. “Jane, it’s...it’s not that simple.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well...we both said we want to, right? But I don’t…” he shook his head.

“What?”

“I don’t want you to feel like you’re obligated to do anything,” he finished quietly.

“I don’t want you to feel like that, either,” she countered.

He looked confused. “Why would I feel like that?”

“I don’t know,” she said, taking a lick of her cone. “Because I’ve been  _ throw _ ing myself at you.”

“Hey, I’m not complaining,” he said, causing both of them to blush again. “Look...we don’t have to rush, we don’t have to do anything neither of us are ready for Jane, okay? I’ll let you take the lead.”

She reached across the table and touched his hand. “I love you,” she said.

“I love you, too.” They ate silently for a moment, until he added “But for the record, I’m ready.”

Jane laughed.

 

The next day, Monday, school went by as usual. Mike had to work, Jane didn’t, so Max dropped her off. Jane worked on homework for a few hours, half paying-attention to a soap opera she’d recorded, until her dad, police chief Jim Hopper came home.

“I don’t know how you watch that stuff,” he said, taking a seat next to her on the couch.

“I think you’d like it,” she teased.

“Hmph. Look, kid. I’ve gotta go out of town this weekend.”

She muted the television. “You do?”

“Yeah, they’ve got me going to this stupid seminar up in Cincinnati.”

“Oh. That sucks.”

“It sure does. I gotta leave Saturday morning, I’ll be back Sunday night. Think you can hold down the fort while I’m gone?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Good.” He stood, ruffling her hair as he did. “Just don’t have any wild parties.”

“I won’t,” she said, batting his hand away. “Promise.”

And she meant it, no parties. Just one other person.

 

All through the next day she debated when to say something to Mike. Finally, on the drive home, the cat came out of the bag. When he parked in her driveway to drop her off, she said “So, uh….my dad’s going out of town this Saturday.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” Jane said, nodding. “He’s got some convention or something he’s going to.”

“Okay.”

“And I was thinking, maybe you could come over and have dinner? I’d cook.”

He scoffed. “You cook?”

“Hey, I can cook,” she said, playfully punching his arm. “I may not be as good as Karen Wheeler is, but I can cook.”

“Okay,” he said, nodding. “It’s a date.”

“Good.” She fidgeted with her fingers a minute before adding “And, um...I was also thinking, that, um...maybe you could spend the night.”

Mike’s eyes widened as he realized what she was insinuating. “You mean...stay?”

Her cheeks red, Jane nodded.

“Are you sure?”

Smiling, she nodded again. “Yes. Do you want to?”

“Y-yeah! I mean...yeah.”

She shook her head. “You’re such a goofball, Mike Wheeler.”

“And you’re so pretty, Jane Hopper.”

She smiled, and the two leaned over to share a kiss. “So,” she said as they pulled away. “Saturday?”

He nodded. “Saturday. I can’t wait.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might be a while before the next chapter as I've got two other stories I'm trying to work on. So next chapter will be their first time together, not sure yet if it'll be smut-lite or a "fade to black" type of read.


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